O, That Way Madness Lies
by Rhiannyx
Summary: It's not only dragons facing the Dovahkiin in this version of history - there's something definitely...mad...about the whole thing.
1. They Say These Lands are Mad

**'O, that way madness lies' - King Lear  
Disclaimer - I own none of the awesomeness that is the Elder Scrolls games :'(**

**A/N: This story has an insane plot, but please bear with it! I'd like your thoughts on it...please leave a review, though don't feel you have to!**

* * *

"My Lord, you seem to have forgotten something."

"_Lady, _Haskill. I am a woman."

"But you're _Lord_ Sheogorath."

"Fine then, you go and tell the cook to get me a sausage, which I can then stuff down –"

"I beg you not to finish that sentence."

The Daedric Prince (or more, Princess) sat lounging on her throne, her chamberlain, Haskill, standing before her looking, as he always did, like someone had clumsily stretched out his face.

"As I was saying, my Lady, you forgot...my Lady, are you even listening to me?"

"Hmm?" The princess looked up from her nails, which she had been scrutinizing intently. "Sorry, I thought I saw a fairy goblin."

"There's no such thing as a fairy goblin."

"Well, what do you call that?" She shoved her finger in Haskill's face. He drew back slightly as it almost flew up his nose. Going slightly cross-eyed, he looked at the nail before him.

"M'Lady, that is your nail."

"No, that red thing!"

"That is from when you tried to paint your nails with imp blood yesterday."

"Oh, yes!" she clapped her hands together. "That was fun! What happened to all of that?"

"You drank it, my Lady." Haskill's voice could hardly contain his enthusiasm.

"Oh, right, yeah..." her nose wrinkled. "That was _not_ fun."

"_Anyway..._as I was saying...no, my Lady, please, just listen. Today is, as you seem to have been disinclined to remember, the Invisible Cheese Rolling festival."

"What in the name of Malacath's dirtiest underwear is that?"

"My lady, you invented it."

"OH, YES!" She leapt to her feet, laughing hysterically. "I remember now!"

"Fantastic." Haskill murmured.

"Wait...we had that last year, Haskill. Keep up!"

"It's sort of an annual thing."

"If you say so." She rolled her eyes, flopping back on her throne. "Just make it better than the previous one. That was very dull. All that happened was fat people rolled down a hill! Not an invisible cheese in sight!"

Haskill exhaled heavily, his nostrils flaring. "We had to stop using the invisible cheese after it ate the Duke of Mania."

"So people are just rolling down hills holding nothing now? So...it's a Rolling festival?"

The chamberlain decided against telling her that they never actually had. "Well...keeps up the morale if they think they _are_ holding invisible cheese. But this is all beside the point, my lady. You must attend the event –"

"Must? Haskill, who's Queen?"

"Not you, you're a Prince."

* * *

"I'm getting mud all over my new shoes!"_ Lady_ Sheogorath complained.

"My Lady, we're not walking on mud. And those are _my_ shoes; you took them and made me wear yours." Haskill looked down at his feet where two dainty high-heeled slippers made home.

"Metaphorical mud!"

"In what sense?"

* * *

"Everything stinks of cheese!" Lady Sheogorath pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What do you plan on achieving by that?" Haskill gestured to her open nostrils. "And I've already told you, there is no cheese."

"NO CHEESE? Haskill, you are very close to being fired!"

"My Lady, you already knew. Anyway, it's time for you to present the prize to the wi- my Lady, will you please listen to me!"

"What? Oh, sorry!" She stared off into the distance as she said it, her mouth hanging open, so he knew there was no hope in continuing.

"Not another fairy goblin is it?"

"Oh, no. This is veeeeery real. Erm, Haskill, dearest...I don't suppose you know who that is?" She waved a finger to her left. He looked.

"That, my Lady, is Alduin."


	2. Cheese, Cheese, Where Art Thee?

"Who on Oblivion would name their child Alduin?" She snorted. "Poor kid." But she didn't seem to care about his strange name – he did plenty to make up for it with his appearance. "Anyway, what does he want?"

"Well, actually, he came here seeking an audience with you."

"Yes, probably going to ask where ALL THE CHEESE WENT."

"M'Lady, how many times will I have to ask you to stop shouting at me?"

"Depends...how long will it take before you get some invisible cheese?" She stroked an imaginary beard.

Haskill chose not to answer, assuming (and correctly) that she'd forget all about it in a second.

"Oh my Gosh, is that him?" She squealed, clutching at Haskill's sleeve.

He looked at where she was pointing wildly then back at her. "That is a bald woman."

"Oh...woopsies." Lady Sheogorath fiddled with her shoe. "Oh, that reminds me! I need you to get my sock."

"What happened to your sock?"

"I don't know. It disappeared. That's why I'm asking you to get it." She spoke slowly, looking at him with an expression that clearly said '_obviously'_.

"But what about your other sock?"

"I never had another sock. What kind of loony wears two socks?"

"Ma'am, everyone wears two socks."

"Haskill, I understand your fashion sense isn't the best, so please don't contradict me. We all know that one sock is in style. You just wouldn't wear two socks! It's like wearing two gloves! Why would you do it?"

Haskill heaved a heavy sigh and muttered under his breath "Sometimes I miss the old Sheogorath. All he did was threaten to make earmuffs with my kidneys."

"Right, well, I guess it's time to announce the winners!" The Prince got to her feet, walking towards the top of the hill and clearing her throat loudly. Everyone fell silent. "Today is yet another joyous Invisible Cheese Rolling festival! I hope you all got pleasantly smelly! Now, I'm afraid there was a bit of a mistake with the votes, er..." she turned the parchment she held this way and that, squinting at it. "Apparently, someone actually beat our reigning grand champion...I forget who it is. Anyway, the winner is..." she looked around hopefully for some kind of suspenseful music. None came. "ALDUIN!"

Murmurs ran through the crowds. Several people scratched their heads. "Who's Alduin?" They all whispered to one another.

"I'm Alduin." Said the stranger. "But I didn't come here for some stupid prize."

A shocked gasp erupted from everyone. Many brandished carrots, ready to charge the man. But Sheogorath held up her hand. "What did you come here for, then?"

Haskill groaned, tugging at the collar of his shirt. Once again, she had forgotten what he'd told her. As he sidled over to re-inform her, she cast him a warning look. He stepped back, surprised – she _had_ remembered!

Alduin approached her, fear flitting fleetingly across his face. "I need your help."

"What do you need my help with?" Sheogorath asked, plopping down on the ground, looking as excited as a child faced with a sweetroll.

"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Alduin...I'm a Dragon."

Sheogorath let out a shrieking laugh. "Yeah, and I'm the Daedric Prince of Madness!" She rolled around on the ground, mud streaking her clothes, then sat up and wiped her eyes.

Haskill, who'd been standing nearby, frowned. "You _are_ the Daedric Prince of Madness."

"Yes, that's what I just said. Now, go away, Haskill. You don't have any cheese so you're not welcome here yet." Sheogorath turned to Alduin, rolling her eyes.

"The thing is, M'Lady..." Alduin took a deep breath. "I wish to take over Tamriel. But I need your help."


	3. Nothing Like a Good Ol' Carriage Ride

Sheogorath blinked, stared at him for a long second, and blinked again. Then, suddenly, she threw her head back and roared with laughter at the sky. Alduin shuffled awkwardly, looking as if he really was regretting his decision. She slowly lowered her head, cocking it to the side and surveying him. "Wait...you're serious, aren't you?"

"Well...yes. I didn't come all this way for nothing."

Sheogorath pulled a face "You're boring, did you know that?" Then her eyebrows knit together. "Hang on...how _did_ you get in here?"

Haskill cleared his throat. "I let him in."

"And...he's completely sane?"

"Depends in what light you view it. If you were to say that you, my Lady, are sane, then he is definitely insane."

She shook her head "You're confusing me. I never understood maths. Now," she clapped her hands, as she always did when she was trying to look 'powerful' "you want my help, yes?"

"No, I want some cheese."

Sheogorath's mouth pursed into a thin line "I _will_ make a scarf out of your intestines."

"I can hardly wait."

She raised an eyebrow. It had been a while since someone had spoken to her like that. "I think I'll enjoy this. Now, how should we begin? I think we should destroy the Imperial City with a huge rain of cheese. If Haskill can find the cheese, that is..."

* * *

The carriage gave a great jolt, jerking me awake from my fitful slumber. I rolled my neck to remove the ache of having had it loll against my shoulder. It gave a sickening click.

"Hey, you, you're finally awake."

A blond Nord, his muscular arms scratched and bloody and his face streaked with dirt, raised his storm grey eyes to look at me. I huddled in on myself, folding my arms across my chest. It was easier when people pretended I wasn't there; which, from my size as a Breton, wasn't exactly hard.

No shit, I felt like saying. How often does someone open their eyes when they're asleep? But I refrained from it – last thing I wanted was a wagon brawl. Besides, he could probably crush me with just one of those biceps. "What's going on?" I asked instead, my voice thick and groggy.

"We got caught trying to cross the border."

I nodded, pretending to follow, though secretly wondering who on Oblivion 'we' were?

"You walk right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."

Imperial? Was that a person? My eyes followed his to settle on the other two inhabitants of our fun little cart. From the size of their muscles, they were definitely both Nords; the one who spoke next had dark hair and a rather high, nervous voice. The other didn't seem up to doing much talking – a heavy cloth was tied around his mouth.

"Damn you, Stormcloaks." Nervous said, sounding...well, nervous. "Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell."

I was having a hard time distinguishing the nouns from that passage, but was saved the trouble when Nervous turned to me. "You there. You and me – we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."

So Stormcloaks and Empire...they seemed to be two groups...I hoped they weren't cults. Blondie spoke again. "We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief."

Uh oh...it seemed they _were_ a cult. Who else calls each other 'brothers and sisters'? I drew away from them all, hoping to make myself invisible – would have been easier if Nervous wasn't still staring at me.

"Shut up back there!" A voice yelled.

"Well, that's rude!" I said, not able to contain myself. I stuck my tongue out at the driver who had spoken then raised a finger in more of an obscene gesture.

"Woah...calm down..." Blondie looked at me, as if waiting for me to finish his sentence. When I didn't, he prompted "you're supposed to say your name."

"Oh! It's Rhiannon. And you are?" I didn't really care, but soon I was going to accidently call him Blondie to his face.

"Ralof." He replied. He looked like he wanted to say more, but was distracted when Nervous – very rudely – cut in.

"What's wrong with him, huh?" He jerked his head towards the other man who I couldn't be bothered to think of a name for. Luckily, Rudolf or whatever his name was came to my aid.

"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King." Looked more like Ulfric should have watched his tongue – I didn't suppose they gagged you for being quiet.

"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion! But if they've captured you...oh gods, where are they taking us?"

"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits." Ah, that makes me feel _loads_ better, Rudolf, knowing that Floffenbard or whatever was waiting for me.

"No, this can't be happening - this isn't happening!" I decided now would be the time to rename Nervous to 'Totally and Utterly Crapping Himself'

"Hey," Rudolf said "what village are you from, horse thief?"

"Why do you care?"

Well, that's rude. Aren't people allowed to have nice idle chit-chat? But Rudolf's reply showed it was a little more than that.

"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."

"Rorikstead. I'm...I'm from Rorikstead."

I felt like someone should actually write these names down – they sounded like made up nonsense! Why didn't Ulfric do it? He didn't seem to be doing much...

Rudolf was staring at the cobbled stone path that the carriage trundled over. I wondered if he was getting annoyed at all the flowers we were crushing. Crappy looked a bit like he was about to cry. And Ulfric...well, he was meditating on the phrase 'Silence is golden'.

A small village rose into view, obscured slightly by the carriage that preceded us. On it were borne more of my 'brothers and sisters'. If I'm being completely honest, my first thought was wondering if there was anywhere I could go to the toilet – it had been a _long_ journey.

"General Tullus, sir, the headsman is waiting!" I started at the shout, and started even more when I saw a shiny man sitting on a horse, surrounded by people with long robes. Ah, I thought, _they're_ the ones in the cult!

"Good. Let's get this over with." who I could only presume was Tullius replied.

Crappy began reeling off the names of the Divines. I noticed that he only named a few of them – I hoped the forgotten ones would come and seek retribution (and just happen to get everyone but me).

Rudolf spat as Shiny rode past. "Look at him, General Tullius, the Military Governor. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves. I bet they had something to do with this." Then he let out a sigh, and for the first time, I saw something like fear flit across his heavy face. "This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed it."

I wondered how he could still be thinking about mead as my eyes fell on a man carrying a sharp axe which looked like it probably wasn't going to be used to cut a cake.

"Funny." Rudolf continued. Did he ever shut up? "When I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe."

The carriage wobbled to a stop at a dead-end. Fitting.

Crappy gave a whimper. "Why are we stopping?"

I snorted inwardly. It was_ obviously_ to let me pee. Rudolf had another answer though "Why do you think? End of the line." He got to hit feet. Easier for him than me, he didn't have ropes pulling his wrists together and cutting off his blood circulation! "Let's go; shouldn't keep the Gods waiting for us.

I was sure they could wait, but as Ulfric and Crappy got up too, I felt rather out of place still sitting, so I stood as well.

"No, wait, we're not rebels!" Crappy pulled a face and I wondered if he actually had lived up to his name.

"Face your death with some courage, thief." Why did Rudolf keep calling him that? His name was Crappy...

"You've got to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!"

Having followed them down the steps (having to jump them thanks to my little legs), I straightened up to find myself face to face with another shiny person – this time, a woman! A bloke stood beside her, but he wasn't shiny, so he was boring.

"Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time!" Mrs Shiny said. I immediately took a disliking to her.

"Empire loves their damn lists." Rudolf muttered.

"Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm." The man said, reading from a scroll.

"It has been an honour, Jarl Ulfric." Rudolf said. It would have been a touching moment, if I hadn't been looking in horror at the chopping block.

"Ralof of Riverwood."

Rudolf – no, Ralof – stepped forwards, gave the reader a scathing look and followed Ulfric.

"Lokir of Rorikstead."

Lokir (Crappy seemed to suit him much better, but oh well...) ran forwards. "No, I'm not a rebel. You can't do this!" Then – I barely stifled a gasp – he sped off, past the shiny people.

I half expected him to yell "FREEDOM!" but before his moment could come, Mrs Shiny yelled "Halt! Archers!" and I heard the whistle of an arrow before it lodged itself in his back and he got a nice mud-facial as he fell headfirst into the floor.

The woman turned back to me, a look of vindictive (and sadistic) pleasure on her face. "Anyone else feel like running?" She sneered.

"Wait." Nameless man interrupted, staring hard at me. "You there. Step forward."

Frustrated with being called 'you', but not wishing to meet the same fate as Crappy, I moved towards them.

"Who are you?"

I straightened up to my full height – which still wasn't very high – and said proudly "Rhiannon Germaine." Then, just to annoy them "it's nice to meet you!"


	4. All Hell Reigns When Cheese is Gone

"Rhiannon..." Nameless squinted at the parchment then looked at me. Well...looked _down _at me. "You from Daggerfall, Breton? Fleeing from some court intrigue?"

I didn't feel that they needed a long history lesson about me, so I simply shrugged.

"Captain, what should we do? She's not on the list?"

"Forget the list, she goes to the block."

"By your orders, Captain. I'm sorry, we'll make sure your remains are returned to High Rock. Follow the Captain, prisoner."

Before I could protest, I felt a foot fly out of nowhere and kick me forward. I had no choice but to stumble after the Captain, whose strut made me want to reach out and throttle her. However, with the impending sight of the headsman's axe, I decided against it.

"Ulfric Stormcloak." It was Mr Shiny now. He seemed to have been waiting for me to begin his speech. Arrogant, attention-seeking bastard. "Some here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like the voice to murder his King and usurp his throne."

Ulfric gave a muffled grunt, though he didn't really look capable of anything else.

"You started this war!" Shiny raised a finger and pointed it accusingly at Ulfric. He looked rather stupid, to be honest. "Plunged Skyrim into chaos! And now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace!"

A roar reverberated through the mountains. Every head snapped up, staring around wildly for the source. "What was that?" Nameless asked, a quiver of fear in his voice.

* * *

Sheogorath turned to Alduin, a look of bemusement on her face. "What was that?"

"Oh - my stomach, sorry!" Alduin looked sheepish. "I thought there actually was going to be some cheese at your festival."

* * *

"It was nothing. Carry on." Shiny gestured with a bored expression to the chopping block.

"Yes, General Tullius!" Way to stick your nose even further up his arse, I thought venomously. "Give them their last rights."

"As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight Divines upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our belo-"

"For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with!" I suddenly realised that almost everyone around me was dressed in strange blue attire. One of these people was who interrupted the priestess (who, I noticed with a smirk, looked highly disgruntled)

"As you wish." She hissed.

The brazen man walked forward, lowering his head onto the block. "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials, can you say the same?"

I heard the swipe of the axe as it danced through the air, averting my gaze just before I heard the sickening thud. Bile rose in my throat as I looked back and saw the man's body slump to the ground, headless.

Yells tore the air "You Imperial bastards!" "Justice!" "Death to the Stormcloaks!"...though they all merged into one so it sounded rather like "You Imperial Justice the Stormcloaks!"

"As fearless in death as he was in life." Ralof murmured, his voice heavy.

"Next, the Breton!" Shiny Captain pointed straight at me. I spun around, hoping there would be someone else there. But every face was turned towards me.

"Crap." I squeaked.

* * *

"Alduin, control your stomach!"

"I'm sorry, I'm hungry!"

* * *

"There it is again! Did you hear that?" Nameless seemed to be taking over Crappy's job.

"I said, next prisoner." Shiny bared her teeth.

Nameless turned to me. The look of pity on his face didn't really make me feel better. "To the block, Rhiannon, nice and easy."

Taking a deep breath, I walked the last few steps of my life. The block rose up before me, still beautifully spattered with the last guy's blood, and I found my eyes unable to shut as I watched the axe impale the sky, ready to swing...

* * *

"Alduin, what on Oblivion are you doing?"

He jumped from the mountainside they were stood on, seeming to soar across the sky before landing right in the middle of Helgen. Sheogorath went to follow him, but recoiled as she saw the huge gap between her and the ground. What on Nirn was wrong with him?

* * *

"WHAT IN OBLIVION IS THAT?"

It was obsidian black, like the darkest night, and crashed onto the roof of the keep. It unfurled its great, spiked wings and fixed its eyes...on me.

"DRAGON!" The scream came from all around me.

The dragon opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar, the force knocking me back. I hit the ground, hard, and the last thing I saw was the sky consumed by fire as boulders rained down. The cracking of bones rent the air, screams of pain and terror filling my ears. Before all went still...


	5. Chains and Prisons and Weirdos, Oh My!

**A/N: Sorry I didn't update sooner! Feels like I'm in Oblivion right now - I have a singing exam tomorrow and I'm ill! Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

"Let go of me!"

They did just that. I felt my legs wrenched into the air and I saw the ground rising up to meet my face.

"Enjoy your stay." The guards guffawed with laughter and slammed shut the cell door.

"OBLIVION TAKE YOU!" I yelled, rolling onto my back and trying to climb to my feet, but heavy shackles constrained my legs together – all I managed to do was wobble a bit then fall flat on my ass again.

Of course, this didn't have the desired 'terror' factor, and my captors left doubled over and wheezing.

"Damn you!" I shouted at their retreating figures, slithering across to the bars and hammering my fists against them as best I could – these two were chained.

"If you're going to do that for a long time, please tell me so I can kill myself. Or you."

I screamed, making to wheel around but bashing my head against the bars in the process. As lights erupted before my eyes, I asked groggily "Who...are you?"

It was most likely a man, or just a woman with a very deep, masculine voice. "Eric." and a male name, it seemed. "It's nice to meet you too, midget."

"Hey!" The world had reformed itself by now, just in time for me to receive his triumphant look. "I'm not _that_ small! Just because all you Nords are the size of boats!"

"Bigger, if we can help it." His smirk really was infuriating.

I slumped against the wall, glaring at him, my arms clamped across my chest. Silence fell, occasionally broken by my huffs of indignation.

"Seriously, are you going to shut up?" He interrupted me in the middle of a particularly drawn-out groan.

"Why, does it annoy you?"

"Yes."

"Good, then I'll carry on."

"Did you get arrested for being this irritating?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, not in the slightest amused. "No. I got thrown in here for stealing. I mean, it was _one_ sweetroll! Damn them guards! And straight after I'd been the Jarl's bitch, as well! Making me run into that bloody tomb and get raped by the living dead!" I continued grumbling to myself, not really noticing what I was saying.

* * *

"Are you going to shut up? You're even more annoying that Haskill, and he sings while he's sleeping! But I'd take that over your snoring any day." Sheogorath stared resolutely up at the tent's canopy.

"If you just stopped complaining about it and went to sleep, you wouldn't notice!" Alduin deadpanned into his bedroll.

"But I can't sleep! We couldn't have just stayed in a tavern!"

"No, we couldn't have."

"Why not? And do you know what else I still don't understand? I thought you were going into Helgen to save that poor little girl, but instead everyone ran off screaming 'Dragon!'"

Alduin rolled onto his side, his eyebrows knit together. "Do you..." his eyes glazed over, as if he were thinking hard.

"Do I what?" Sheogorath snapped, trying to ignore the excruciatingly attractive face inches from hers.

"Nothing." He said before turning back and falling silent. Something in his tone proved it clearly wasn't nothing.

* * *

"So why are you in here?" I attempted at conversation after the painful gap.

"They think I murdered someone. Several people, in fact." Eric tapped his nails against the coarse ground.

Well, that made this situation so much less awkward! "Did you?"

"Doesn't make any difference – they think I did, so they say I did."

It didn't seem as if there was going to be any more chit-chat, so I saved any remarks about the weather (fortunate, because he probably wouldn't have many opinions about the weather having been holed up in a prison for god-knows how long)

* * *

_The fires raged in the darkening night's sky. The hammering of drums rose in a rapid crescendo. A chant, the tongue foreign to my ears, began._

_I crept across the forest floor, wincing as twigs snapped beneath my feet. Then, I reached the clearing._

_They wore headdresses haloed with feathers; wielding staves capped with...skulls._

_The pounding of the drum sped to catch up with my racing heartbeat. The leader arose._

_The Skeever King._

_The drumbeat grew deafeningly loud. BANG! BANG! BANG! _

I woke with a start, the thudding seeming to resonate inside my head. As I forced my eyes open, blinking against the blur obscuring my vision, I realised what had woke me up.

A guard was beating against the cell door. When he saw me blearily rub my eyes, he threw something at me; it hit me squarely in the forehead and bounced off, rolling across the floor.

"Breakfast – enjoy." He sneered. "Oh, and one more thing: the commander says he heard you talking to someone last night."

"Yeah..." I sat up, frowning with confusion. "I was talking to –" but I never actually managed to finish the sentence. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words seemed to lodge in my throat. I tried again, to no prevail.

The guard gave me a strange look and then scampered off, clearly worried he would catch some kind of illness from me.

Scratching my head, I turned round to Eric. He lay fast asleep.


	6. An Unexpected Visitor

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Alduin stamped his foot on the ground.

"What? I told you not to...er...'do your business' behind those thistles!" Sheogorath picked her way carefully along the road, dodging several piles of creature crap.

"No!" He groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Why are all humans so infuriating?"

"Hey!"

"What?"

"I was a human...once."

"And now you're a Daedric Prince. Things change. But this bloody girl..." he stopped short, and Sheogorath accidently walked straight into him.

"What girl?" She asked, after trying and failing to maintain her balance (and dignity) and falling flat on her butt.

"The one that we've been watching for the past week!" He grit his teeth. "Don't you remember any of it? How she went into Bleak Falls Barrow and we followed her and you ran out screaming because you thought you saw a Draugr when it was really a bandit..."

"You told me there would be Draugr! And I do remember now, I may be the Princess, _not Prince, _of Dementia, but my memory is not _that_ terrible."

"Coming from the person who forgot about the festival she created..."

"That –" she paused, a finger raised to point at him accusingly, now just poised awkwardly in the air. "I didn't know you knew that."

He shrugged. "Anyway, that little Breton has gone and gotten herself thrown in jail!" He let out a yell that thundered across the plains of Whiterun.

* * *

From atop a jagged mountain that impaled the skyline, a great, glowing eye flew open.

* * *

"What was that?" Eric woke suddenly, jerking upright.

"Oh, obviously it's someone singing!" I cried wildly, running over to the wall and trying to jump up to the tiny crack in the stone that was supposedly a window. That roar...I'd heard it before; that feeling as if something had ripped every ounce of courage from my body, leaving me a wasted sack of fear. It definitely wasn't a nice feeling.

"You just keep on cracking jokes. I'm sure whatever it is will be unable to fight your quick wit."

"Well, did I mention that I'm the headsman and you're the...one that's getting your head chopped off...?" I quickly looked away from him, hoping he wouldn't notice the colour flooding my face.

"You look like a tomato. And –"

I never got to hear what other insult he had to throw at me, for at that moment, I heard it. "YOL TOOR SHUL!"

Eric leapt up and pulled me away from the wall just in time. Fire burst in through the cracks, devouring the very spot where I'd just been standing. "What the hell is going on?"

I stared in horror at the crevices that were cut into the stones...and then one of them stared back at me.

"I think..." my mouth hung open, making my speech sound rather strange. "I think that's a dragon."

"It's not going to be able to get in here, right? I mean, this is Dragonsreach..."

"You know, for some reason, I don't think that's going to stop this dragon!"

"You never know, it could –"

It seemed this dragon didn't really want to listen to Eric anymore than I did. A bronze claw burst through the wall, sending stones speeding towards me. But that was the least of my worries. For the claw was soon followed by the snapping jaw of the great behemoth. I dived out the way as one of the monstrous teeth nearly impaled me where I stood.

I pushed against the wall, trying to stand up again, but the dragon fixed me with a burning glare and it reared its head, opening its mouth wide.

There was a heartbeat's pause, in which time seemed to slow. I heard the words rumble in the dragon's throat, but before they escaped its mouth, I reacted without thinking. "FUS!"

Hit by some invisible force, the beast flew back, slipping through the hole it had created. Desperately, it scraped against the floor, trying to stop itself, but Eric and I were already running.

My heart in my mouth (though of course not literally), I slammed my feet against the ground as I scrambled towards the stairs. But as I gazed up, I saw the ceiling had caved in, leaving the steps barred by an impenetrable barrier of boulders.

"How are we going to get out?" I yelled. Eric slowly turned his head, and I imitated him. The dragon was clambering back to its feet.


	7. A Narrow Escape of Sorts

"DUCK!"

I moved a split second too late. The breath of flame struck my leg, sending an excruciating pain coursing through me. Screaming with pain, I crashed to the floor. The dragon advanced on me, what looked almost like a sneer hiding behind his scales. Lunging aside, I narrowly missed the mouth that was trying to take me for dinner.

"Over here!"

Eric's voice seemed to come from nowhere. My vision was completely obscured by the gargantuan monster before me...one that had opened its jaw to assail again. Suddenly, a strong pair of arms clamped around me and dragged me away as another razor-like tooth gouged the ground where I had just been. Eric dropped me and I heard the groan of metal. Turning, I saw him heaving up a grate inlaid in the ground.

"Come on!" He dived down the hole. The dragon let out a roar that shook the entire room, and the metal grate wobbled violently, before slowly beginning to swing down.

I could hear the dragon advancing behind me and the grate was gathering speed as it shut. "YOL-"

The heat was unbearable as the flames devoured all in reach. The metal clanged back into position deafeningly. But I was already gone.

* * *

"What on Nirn is going on?" Sheogorath ran her fingers through her hair agitatedly. "I swear, Tamriel has gone insane!"

"Are you sure you're not the one that's gone insane?" Alduin said in his usual drawling voice.

"I'm telling you – someone just jumped from that mountain over there" She pointed 'over there' "and landed in the middle of Whiterun." She traced the path with her finger. "I don't understand how that's possible! You know, he looked a lot like you when you jumped into Helgen last week!"

Alduin didn't reply, but he tensed slightly. Sheogorath didn't notice anything though, and ploughed on. "I'm evidently not the only one who saw it. Can't you hear all that screaming? I hope he didn't get hurt...it was a very long jump. Oh, hey, look! Whiterun's on fire! I wonder why..."

* * *

My feet crashed against the floor and I felt my legs buckle. Just before I hit the ground, Eric grabbed me and steadied me. "What the hell was that?"

"Oh, I don't know!" I yelled frantically "Probably just a bird!"

"No, that thing you did...that shouting."

"I don't..." I trailed off, realising abruptly that his arms were still wrapped around my waist. Awkwardly, I cleared my throat. He started and hastily withdrew. There was a painful pause, which I eventually had to break "I don't know what it was."

"It knocked that dragon backwards."

"Look, I'm not that interested in that now! All I care is that there is something up there that sees us as a very nice meal! And I don't know about you, but I don't look forward to it char-grilling me!"

"You're right. But just one thing...I have no idea where we are."

"Well, from the smell of it, I'd say a skeever den." I thought briefly of my dream and tried not to laugh at the irony. "But as we just fell from the Whiterun prisons, I'd say...we're beneath the Whiterun prisons."

"Oh, well done. You're such a genius. Now come on, let's get mo-"

I realised we weren't alone a second before I saw the jet of flames. I shoved Eric out of harm's way and cowered aside, watching the fire singe the wall.

"This way!" I shouted over the dragon's roar. I took off down the passageway, almost blinded by the darkness beyond. It seemed to wind on forever and ever...into some unfathomable abyss.

"Ow, that was my foot!" Eric yelled, though I couldn't even see his face.

"I'm sorry; it's a bit dark down here, in case you didn't notice! And keep your voice down!"

After a fair bit of grumbling, we both fell quiet. All I could hear was the sickening drip of what I really hoped was water and the slap of our flimsily-clothed feet against the damp floor. Suddenly, I heard the rattle of wood and jumped, but Eric's voice carried from somewhere nearby "I think this is a way out!"

"Let's hope it is...and that there isn't another creature that was supposed to have died out years ago waiting for us on the other side."

"Damn, it's locked!" I heard a thud and a grunt of exertion, closely followed by another; then, with a loud crunch, the splintering of wood.

Light flooded in, and I had to raise a hand to shield my eyes. "So, I guess this _is _the way out. Or..." I followed him outside and let out a sigh "the way straight to the dragon."

The beady, orb-like eyes were staring down at us.

* * *

As the dragon opened its mouth to lunge for what I feared was the last time, it suddenly let out a shrill yelp (rather unfitting for such a gigantic beast) followed by (a far more fitting) roar of pain. Its great body slumped against the ground. It let out one final, bone-chilling cry and then fell still.

"What the –" Eric recoiled from the motionless heap before us as it burst into flame.

The fire seemed to be devouring the very skin of its body. Its scales were being torn from its bones and appearing to just disintegrate in the air.

Then, the flames contorted into a blazing light that erupted from the dragon and shot through the air...towards me.

I stepped back in horror, but the light surrounded me. I could hear something coming from it, almost like...a voice. Before I could listen closer, a rush of some burning power seared inside me. It felt like I'd been wrapped in the embrace of a stranger: warm and comforting as an embrace should be, but unsettling and alien as a stranger is. It felt like someone was bathing me in water that was neither hot nor cold. I couldn't tell if it was a nice feeling.

"What just happened?" Eric choked as he watched the glow fade into my body.

"I have absolutely no idea." I could barely manage a whisper.

"I could tell you." The voice made us both look round with a start. Leaning against a blood-shining sword lodged in the dragon's skeleton, smirking as if there was no one greater than himself, stood a hulking Nord. His steel plate was disgustingly smeared with scarlet.

"Who the hell are you?" Eric demanded, a look of indignation crossing his face. Curiously, I looked from one to the other of them. There was no denying which of them looked the stronger – this newcomer could probably have crushed Eric between his fingers.

"Harald: the person who just saved your sorry asses." He wrenched his blade free and sheathed it. "It's nice to meet you too." He gave a snort of contempt as he looked us both – dishevelled and spent – over.

"If we say thank you, will you go away?" His sneer was really infuriating.

"Really? You two milk-drinkers look like you need all the help you can get. Especially if you" his gaze fell on me and his lip curled "are the Dragonborn."

"I'm sorry, what?" These blasted Nords and their made up words!

"Yes, you're the Dragonborn. Or you just have some strange fetish for dragon souls that allows you to absorb them. Take your pick."

"What in the name of Dagon is a Dragonborn?"

"It's a Nordic legend." Eric spoke before Harald could. "They say that there's a hero, born with the body of a mortal and the soul of a dragon; they are called the Dragonborn in our tongue, but the Dovahkiin in Dragon Language-"

"Wait, Dragon Language? I thought they just roared and breathed fire..."

He looked annoyed at my interruption. "Actually, they're speaking an ancient language. But, that doesn't matter now!"

"Yes, it does." Harald intercepted. "The Dragonborn has the ability to speak this language without training."

"I still don't understand." I ran my fingers through my hair. "Why me? Why am I the Dragonborn? What am I supposed to do?"

"They say the Dragonborn was chosen by the gods. He or she has to fulfil the prophecy."

I shook my head, folding my arms across my chest and fixing Eric with a contemptuous glare. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous. What 'prophecy' are you talking about?"

Harald cleared his throat. Evidently, he loved the sound of his voice too much. I was reminded forcefully of Rudolf or whatever he was called. "'When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world; when the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped; when the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles; when the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne and the White Tower falls; when the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding: the World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn.'"

An awful silence rang out. I could feel Eric's eyes burning into me, but I stared off at the sun that was slowly bleeding away into the horizon. So it was down to me to stop this...World-Eater? I wondered what that was. Maybe it was some really offensive person for someone really fat and greedy...

"The World-Eater?" Eric ventured. "You mean...Alduin?"

"Yes."

Eric took a sharp breath and laid a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry."


	8. Snow White and the Two Nords

Slowly, I shook my head. "What...why..." I couldn't think which question to ask first. "Who is Alduin?"

Eric withdrew his hand and fiddled with the string of his cloth trousers. "He was...well,he _is,_ a dragon."

"You mean..." I gestured to the skeletal remains before us.

"No. This looks like a fluffy little bunny compared to Alduin. They say his scales are black as ebony and-"

"Who is 'they'?" Harald interjected, but I didn't even listen to him. A memory reared its ugly head – a memory of screams, blood and a pair of crimson eyes turning to me, inlaid in the face of an onyx dragon: Alduin.

* * *

"Can you see anything?"

"No, I'm telling you for the final time, I can't, Alduin! If you would just let me stand on your shoulders..."

"Okay, I'm telling _you_ for the final time: if you stood on my shoulders, you would crush me. I think you mean _sit_ on my shoulders."

Sheogorath rolled her eyes and tried to stretch up on her tip-toes to see over the imposing walls of Whiterun. Alduin stopped short and stared at her. "Have you always been that small?"

"I'm not that small...am I? Haskill said I'd grown...damn him!"

"Well...you're the size of an ant. I've got to say, you're definitely the most terrifying Daedra."

"Shut up." Sheogorath raised one finger pointedly.

* * *

"The prisoner! She's escaped!"

Before I could do much more than start with surprise, Eric spat "guards" and, without so much as a warning, grabbed my hand and pulled me away at a pace far quicker than I liked.

I wasn't, you could say, the best runner. I had a habit of tripping and stumbling and panting like a winded horker...this wasn't what you needed when you were trying to be inconspicuous. It didn't help that Whiterun's paths were coated in fine gravel that was very easy to slip on. My foot just sort of slid along the stones, and my butt followed. Their pursuit was evident before I could see the sunlight bouncing off their steel – you could hear their clanking from a mile away.

"Crap." I groaned, staggering to my feet as the deafening concerto of plain old clanging rose in a highly unpleasant crescendo. Eric outstripped me quite a bit, his muscular legs passing across the ground with ease – but my tiny little thighs had about the strength of a strip of cloth. Harald had almost disappeared, he was so far ahead. As I threw a glance over my shoulder, I could see the shinies charging after me. Great!

* * *

"Don't...they...ever...give...up?" I wheezed, resisting the urge to collapse to the ground there and then. But I decided against it purely because I didn't like forests – the floor was often used as an excretion area for the local wildlife.

"They must be gone by now..." I could barely comprehend how Harald didn't sound in the least out of breath. His armour was just as cumbersome as the guards'!

"We should...set up camp." Eric, at least, sounded a little fatigued from the fact that we'd just run from Whiterun to Falkreath.

"Okay!" I agreed to that whole-heartedly, relief flooding over me as I flopped onto a nearby tree-stump. Expectantly, I put my hands on my knees "Who brought the tent?"

Eric looked to Harald, who raised his eyebrows. "I'm only here because I'm waiting to be repaid for saving your lives. I didn't plan on having a fun camping trip."

I dug my nails into my palms to keep from throttling him. Taking deep breaths, I turned to Eric, who stepped back, raising his hands. "We met in a prison – I've got nothing but the clothes on my back!"

"What about the clothes on your front?"

He smacked his face against his hand. I wondered why he was trying to squash his nose. "So...we're sleeping out with nature tonight?"

"There'll probably be a bandit camp nearby." Harald drawled, his hand sliding towards his scabbard.

"I'll go." Eric interposed.

"And what, fend them off with a twig? You two can at least try and fashion yourselves some weapons." With a snigger, he stalked off.

"That son of a ..." Eric snarled, wringing his hands together.

"Calm down." I smirked. It was really quite funny to see him get worked up. But actually...it was strange to see him at all. It seemed I hadn't paid attention before to what he looked like.

Other people might have called him handsome. With a chiselled face framed by coarse blond hair and ice-blue eyes, he certainly was the spitting image of a true Nord. However, I had seen enough bulging biceps to last me a lifetime – and I'd only been in Skyrim for about a week. I especially had seen enough of those with the muscles looking down their long noses at me – I really wasn't that small! Sure, I didn't really look the part of a warrior...well, I didn't _at all._ But history would be boring were I just your average Nord that liked to carry hammers and smash things.

"How are we supposed to fashion weapons out of wood?" he grumbled, not quite to me.

"Erm...can I pass? Last time I tried to lift up an axe, I dropped it and it knocked me out."

"You can't not have a weapon...what else are you going to use to save Skyrim?"

"I don't know..."

"No, you don't, do you?" He sighed and wandered off, evidently wishing he'd never met me.

* * *

"Remind me again why we're trekking across Skyrim after some little girl? I never realised you were a paedophile."

"She's not a little girl...she's just a relatively small adult."

"How would you know this?" Sheogorath lifted the edges of her dress up to stop it from getting smeared with mud.

"I told you before who she is. I just doubt you were listening."

"Oh!" Sheogorath turned to Alduin, her eyes wide. "Is she that one...the Dragonborn?"

"Yes."

* * *

Harald returned soon, his blade dripping the news of his victory. Despite my complaints that it was gross to sleep in the camp of people he had just killed, I couldn't protest when I saw the roaring fire or the welcoming bedrolls.

After a very frugal meal of dried berries, made even sweeter with the constant snide remarks of Harald about basically every single fault myself or Eric had, we retired to bed.

Having refused point blank to share a tent with Eric, Harald took one all for himself, which left me and the other Nord rather awkwardly cramped into the notably smaller one.

Fortunately, neither of us had any change of clothing, so we flopped onto the warm furs and soon fell asleep.

Just before I drifted off, I whispered sleepily "Don't even think of snoring."


	9. We're All Going on a Skyrim Holiday

**A/N: HAPPY DAYS! I got my first flame! Best thing about it - I know I'm right! Especially considering they got my gender confused...veeery smart of them. Because I love idiots, I gave them a special mention in this chapter - see if you can find where!**

* * *

"DOVAHKIIN!"

My eyes flew open. "Eric!" I yelled. "I know I said no snoring, but shouting is even worse!"

A grunt came from beside me and Eric muttered groggily. "Shut it. That wasn't me."

"Oh...it wasn't?" I sat up, rubbing my eyes and scraping a hand through my tangled hair. I cast a glance over at the Nord. He'd gone back to sleep. He certainly looked funny when he was sleeping – his mouth hung open and his hair was matted. "Wake up!" I picked up my pillow and hurled it at his face. Obviously, it didn't do much damage, but it was enough to get him to begrudgingly open his eyes.

"I'm up, I'm up!" He shoved the covers off himself and I quickly looked away as I realised he wasn't wearing a top – not that it wasn't a pleasant sight. He chuckled. "It's not like I'm naked."

"Yes, well..." I cleared my throat. "If that wasn't you, what was that?"

"Maybe it was Dick-Head."

"Who?"

In response, Eric nodded toward the mouth of the tent. I screamed as I saw Harald's head floating there. He rolled his eyes, nonplussed. "Did either of you hear that?"

"I thought that was you!"

"No, you thought it was Eric until he suggested that it may have been me." I wondered how long Harald had been eavesdropping. "And it wasn't. It was the Greybeards."

A boom of thunder erupted like a cannon outside at that very moment. I had to clamp my hand over my mouth to stop myself snorting with laughter at the grave look on Harald's face. Trying to stifle the occasional giggle, I said "Who are the Greybeards?"

He gave me a disapproving glare. Obviously, these weren't some guys you could insult. "They're masters of the Way of the Voice."

It didn't have _quite_ the dramatic effect he was going for. I stopped mid-nod (my way of pretending I was listening) and said "Ahh...the Way of the Voice. Yep, I've heard of that!"

"Well, good; because they've called for you. Did you not hear them say 'Dovahkiin'?"

"That's what they said? I thought they said 'Dove back in'!"

He smacked his palm against his face. "No. Anyway, they live in the monastery at High Hrothgar."

"Oh, right, yeah...High Hrothbart, yeah, I've been there before."

"It's Hrothgar. And now, please don't ask me any more questions. If they have called for you – you really being Dragonborn, that is – then we can't keep them waiting."

"Wait!" I cried as he made to retract his head. "Do they actually have grey beards?"

I got no reply.

* * *

"Why don't you just grow a moustache and get a telescope, complete the look?"

Alduin turned to Sheogorath, the familiar look of annoyance lining his face. "I'm not being a pervert! And now shut up, or they'll hear us."

He made to step back but his foot settled on the Daedric Prince's. She let out a shriek of pain and he clapped a hand over her mouth.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" I exchanged a glance with Eric. Slowly, he drew towards the opening and then threw back the flap – would have been a thrilling move, except that there was nothing there.

"Probably just a rabbit." He said, clearing his throat and flexing his muscles in some obvious attempt to regain his 'manliness'

"Rabbits don't scream. Or do they? Just because I haven't heard one do it, doesn't mean they can't..." to prevent myself from my brain exploding, I quickly changed the subject. "Where are we actually going?"

"To High Hrothgar." He held up his hands to stop me speaking. "Just come with us."

* * *

After some time (Harald had thrown some kind of hissy fit because his sword disappeared, which he later found exactly where he'd left it), we set off...at a snail's pace. Owing to me? How could you think that...?

* * *

Turns out, this place was up a mountain – Harald had conveniently forgotten to mention that. Our week of endless walking yielded nothing much more than an encounter with a very strange woman who came up to me and yelled something along the lines of "Wabbajack! Use the Wabbajack on me!" which I have a feeling was something sexual and Eric seemed to too, because he said hurriedly that we had to be going and dragged me away.

Without little more than a million complaints from me, we ended up in Ivarstead. Nice enough little town, though it was rather unsettlingly shadowed by a strange kind of barrow. I shuddered – I'd seen enough of those god-forsaken Nordic tombs (even though I'd only been in one).

One thing made me stop in my tracks though. "7000 steps?"

"Now, look at it this way – it's just like climbing up 7 steps a thousand times." Eric tried to console me.

"I don't even want to go up 7 steps once!"

Screw my so called 'destiny'! I didn't want to be Dragonborn! Why did I have to? Let Skyrim burn!

After a few moments, my horror had cooled off and I felt rather bad for thinking what I had. Reluctantly, I set off up the steps that could only lead to Oblivion.

Fortunately, the steps weren't all in one straight line. There were long straight stretches between them where I could have a rest – as in, flop on the floor and gasp for breath. I fell subject to a bit of procrastination as I ascended – there were some rather fascinating stone tablets that lined the side of the path.

Having sated my desire to read them (they were actually rather boring) I turned to ask how far it was to the top...only to be faced with nothing. Guess they'd got tired of waiting...

So I began the climb all by my lonesome. It was fine, until I ended up face to face with nothing more and nothing less than a frost troll. As I recall, the first thing I did was squeak "Shit." I probably did a bit.

You know how they say that sometimes things happen to make you find powers you didn't know you had? Well, no, I don't think they do either – but that's what happened then! From seemingly out the palms of my hands shot what looked like balls of fire! It's safe to say, I was terrified. But the troll seemed not to enjoy a gentle caress of warmth; instead, it howled in pain as its fur singed.

With a small exclamation of surprise, I launched another fireball at it – it was actually quite fun! I'd forgotten how much I loved magic (my mother having banned me from ever using it when I accidently roasted the family dog as a kid)

I was hardly an expert mage, and I came out of the encounter looking rather ragged...but I looked about a thousand times better than the troll. The poor thing didn't look like he knew what hit him – or more, that he did know exactly what had hit him and was annoyed about it. I left with several bloody gashes across my stomach, though thankfully not very deep ones, and the stench of burnt troll stinging my nostrils (I missed the days when I couldn't even imagine what burnt troll smelled like.)

To my complete surprise, nothing else bit my sorry ass on the way up to High Hrothgar – I don't know why, but whenever I said the name in my head I immediately managed lightning bolts and dramatic music playing.

High Hrothgar was...if I had to say one word, it would be epic. There was no other way to describe the breathtaking monastery that perched at its seemingly unreachable situation atop the mountain – but I'd reached that unreachable situation! At the bottom of the stairs (I took time to grumble inwardly at the fact that there were _more_ stairs) Harald and Eric stood waiting for me. The latter grinned widely as he saw me huffing and puffing, and the former just looked, well, bored.

"You been eating jam or something?" Eric asked, gesturing to my blood-spattered rags. I could just detect a note of concern in his voice.

"I wish." I gasped, still trying to regain oxygen in my lungs. "It was a bloody troll! I hate them damn things – why do they exist? What is their reason for existing? Nobody likes them!"

He gave a low chortle and beckoned me up the steps towards High Hrothgar.

* * *

"I hate the weather here!" Sheogorath complained for the umpteenth time that very day.

"Oh, really? You've never mentioned that." Alduin droned. He brushed his dark hair, slightly streaked with sweat, from his face. "Just something else to add to the list of things you hate. I think we're on, what, the millionth sheet of parchment? It's a very short list."

"You just shut up, okay? I should never have agreed to come with you! I thought this would be a fun holiday – and that there would be cheese. But no. It's cold, I have to walk for ages, and there is NO CHEESE!"


	10. When In Doubt, Say FUS

**A/N: This is rather a boring scene, I realise, when you first meet the Greybeards, so I changed a few things! Obviously, the story is exactly the same, just a few words are changed. Thought you didn't need to sit through something that you've already watched probably many times. Hope you like it and it doesn't bore you!**

* * *

The sound of the door slamming, though it should have been only a slight thud, was deafening in the silence of the chamber. Every footstep reverberated from the walls, the echo strangely out of time. Gazing up at the towering ceiling, I got that urge to try and reach up and touch it. However, before I could, a voice boomed: "So...a Dragonborn appears, at this moment in the turning of the age."

Trying to mask my jump, I glanced over my shoulder for whoever this person was addressing. Then, I realised it was me. "Who: me?"

"Are there any other Dragonborns here?" I saw the speaker now – if the fact that they were in High Hrothgar wasn't a clue enough, they had one distinguishing feature: a grey beard. I had to bite back a giggle.

"I don't know. Eric could be one." I looked at him, as if waiting for him to confirm.

A perplexed visage clouded the Greybeard's face. "Who's Eric?"

"He's..." I felt him tense beside me and quickly finished "my imaginary friend."

"So, you made this journey all on your own, Dragonborn?"

"No, I had Harald..." I turned to the other Nord, who hastily straightened himself up and tried to appear imposing. It made me feel nauseous.

"Who?" The Greybeard followed me gaze, but his brows were still knit together. "Never mind. You have been summoned here to learn of the Way of the Voice, but first, let me taste of your voice."

I stopped short, really hoping these "Greybeards" weren't some kind of paedophile cult. "He's asking you to Shout." Eric murmured in my ear. "Like you did with that Dragon."

Relieved, I tried to remember how on earth I could do it. Before, it had been out of pure fear. Succumbing to my imagination, I conjured up the image of a dragon filling the room, opening its jaws and grinding its razor teeth together...

"FUS!"

The Greybeard stumbled back, tripping slightly over the hem of his billowing robe. Pretending not to have noticed so as to quell my laughter, I folded my arms across my chest and tried to rearrange my face into a composed look. "Dragonborn." He gasped, sounding incredulous. "It is you. Welcome to High Hrothgar."

Feeling no need to remind him that in fact, a welcome should have come several sentences ago, I asked "I don't understand...what does it mean to be Dragonborn?"

"That's what we are here to teach you, as we have with those of the Dragon Blood before you." Noticing my surprised expression, he continued "Yes, you are not the only Dragonborn. There have been many since Akatosh first bestowed his gift upon mortalkind." Akatosh! I actually recognised the name of that Divine. "Whether you are the only Dragonborn of this age...that is not ours to know."

Nodding, I forced a smile through my confusion and inquired "I've been told about a destiny..."

"That is for you to discover. We can show you the Way, but not the destination."

Wishing for an end to the riddles, I said, not sure if I really meant it "I'm ready to learn."

"You have proven you have the inborn gift of the Dragonborn. But it will take more than that to learn how to properly master the gift of the Voice." He descended the steps, walking into the centre of the room, and from out the shadows, three other robed men appeared. "When you shout, you speak the language of the dragons. You have the blood of a dragon, allowing you to learn these Words of Power." Seeing I obviously wasn't following, he continued in a slower voice "All Shouts are made up of three Words of Power. With the mastery of each word, the Shout grows stronger. The Shout you demonstrated, Unrelenting Force, is weak at the moment." Snorting inwardly, I recalled that it was strong enough to make him trip over. "Master Einarth will teach you the second Word – 'Ro' – which is 'Balance' in the dragon tongue. Combined with 'Fus' – 'Force' – your Shout is sharper."

"Riiiight..." I turned to the Greybeard he gestured to, Einarth, then quickly looked back. "Wait! I didn't catch your name."

"I am Master Arngeir. And that is not important right now."

Did I really have such an awful ability of infuriating everyone? Eric nudged me forward and I stumbled towards Master Einarth. He stared down at the floor and whispered "Ro."

Engraved in the very stone, seeming to burn red-hot, were strange lines that looked almost like letters of some forgotten alphabet. I bent over to inspect them, and then a rush of heat ran through me. Shocked, I leapt back, feeling something rumble inside me and words burst from my lips "Ro."

"You learn a new word like a master." Arngeir said, not even bothering to mask his surprise. "You truly do have the gift." If he had been so doubtful, why on Oblivion was I there? Before I could open my mouth to point this out, Eric caught my eye and he shook his head. "Before you can use a Word of Power, you must unlock its meaning through constant practise. Unless, of course, you are the Dragonborn. You can absorb a slain dragon's life force and knowledge directly. To aid you, Master Einarth shall give you his understanding of 'Ro.'"

I noticed a slight twitch from Harald as Arngeir was speaking, but passed it off as just some arrogant move – probably flicking his hair back into place. Pivoting to Einarth, I saw lights erupt from his body and rush through the air to me. Though I didn't feel the surprise that I had before, I still felt decidedly unsettled as the strange feeling coursed through me. Trying to ignore the bile that rose in my throat as my body expanded 'till it felt it would burst, I braced myself for the world to return to normal. When it did, I realised Arngeir was speaking again. Not another Ralof! "Let us see how quickly you master your new Thu'um."

Did we, did we really? Apparently we did. Still feeling the sense of power throbbing through me, I knew there was only one way to release it – I opened my mouth and shouted "FUS RO!" Arngeir did more than stumble this time – he flailed comically, only just managing to stay upright.

"You learn quickly." He wiped his brow. "Your Thu'um is precise." What, as opposed to wonky? "You show great promise, Dragonborn."

They really were taking the piss now. Just because I was small and had muscles about equal to a rabbit's, didn't mean I was completely incapable of being the saviour of Skyrim! Just because I often wandered off into daydreams and never really knew what I was doing and ran scared from almost every fight...okay, I really wasn't cut out for this.

"We will perform your next trial in the courtyard. Follow Master Borri." _More_ walking? It wasn't like I got carried all the way up to their monastery!

* * *

"Who builds a church on top of a mountain? Surely if must have been rather hard – how on earth did they get all the bricks up here?"

"It's not a church, it's a monastery. And I don't know, I suppose the Gods placed it there." Alduin's lip curled in a sneer.

"I'm a God, I would never do that."

"You are not a God! You're a Daedric Prince, there is a difference."

"I'm immortal, aren't I? What more do I need?"

"Sanity."


	11. I'm Not in Love or Anything

Harald stooped down to whisper to me as we ascended the stairs. "You look like such an idiot right now – what Dragonborn doesn't even wear armour?"

"I'm sorry." I hissed. "You haven't given me much chance to change out of these bloody prison clothes." He fell silent, a smug look etched on his face, and I scowled as his steel armour clanged away merrily with every one of his self-confident strides.

"Calm down." Eric muttered, eyeing the Greybeards ahead of us. "You're breathing so heavily you sound like a bear with a blocked nose."

Though he soothed me a little, I still felt slightly annoyed – something that I was sure the Greybeards would feel blasphemous in their sacred temple. Though the monastery itself was cold, I wasn't prepared for the blast of chill wind that smacked me in the face as soon as I stepped into the courtyard. Even the two Nords beside me grimaced slightly as they were almost pushed backwards. Weather at Skyrim ground-level was atrocious, yet it seemed like the Gold Coast compared to atop a mountain. Teeth chattering uncontrollably, I stepped beside the Greybeards, who seemed unaffected by the frost.

"We shall now test your skill by teaching you a completely new shout. Master Borri shall teach you 'Wuld' which means 'Whirlwind'." Arngeir nodded curtly to me.

Master Borri bowed to the ground and whispered "Wuld."

Again, with a sickening cracking noise, the ground was rent apart as letters carved themselves into it. Bracing myself, I managed to force through the disturbing feelings that followed. After Master Borri had given me his 'knowledge' (though really, all that seemed to happen was he gave me light), I turned to face the gates that Arngeir then gestured to.

"Use your Whirlwind Sprint Shout to pass through the gates before they close."

"Hang on!" I cried, spinning around. "There's nothing at the end of that! It's just the edge of the mountain! Surely I'll just shoot off it?"

"Your Shout, if you stand beside me, shall not project you that far." He was trying his best to sound courteous, but I must have been trying him.

"If you say so." I sighed, turning back to what could only be my death. Funny, I seemed to have faced my death quite a lot recently – I really didn't like this Dragonborn business.

The fourth Greybeard whose name I didn't know whispered "Bex!" and the wrought iron gates burst open. Casting a terrified glance at Arngeir, I shouted "WULD!"

It felt as if I'd let my entire body go into the hands of some God. Whoever they were, they bore me straight through the air, turning the world around me into a blur. I felt wind rush past me, but I was faster than it. As quickly as it had twisted, everything righted itself again. I lurched forward, feeling my stomach heave, but then stopped as my foot slid on a loose rock and I saw the edge of the mountain drop away beneath me. Leaping back, I scrambled away from the drop that seemed to be growing ever closer.

As dizziness overwhelmed me, I felt someone grab me by the waist and pull me back. It was a familiar grip, and I couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed about how much I had come to rely on Eric. He helped me to straighten up, but then I saw the Greybeards exchanging peculiar glances as I thanked him.

Arngeir paused, then said "That shout does take some getting used to. But your quick mastery of a new Thu'um is...astonishing. I'd heard the stories of the abilities of the Dragonborn, but to see for myself..."

"Will you please stop calling me Dragonborn?" I interceded. "My name is Rhiannon."

Arngeir looked at me, and I could tell he was sizing me up. There wasn't much to size up, really. "Well, Rhiannon, we have another test for you. Before you can complete your training, you must recover an ancient artefact: the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller." He gave a pause for dramatic effect. It had none. "It is buried in the ancient fane of Ustengrav."

Oh, no! He had to be joking! I did not want to see another Draugr again! "Okay." Somehow, the words came out my mouth without me really realising. "I'll get it."

"How exactly are you going to find this if I haven't told you where it is?"

Didn't really think of that. Luckily, Harald stepped in. "I have a map." He extracted said paper from his backpack and held it out. Arngeir was still looking at me expectantly, seeming not to have heard Harald. Confused, I took the map from Harald, ignoring his protests, and handed it to Arngeir.

The Greybeard gave a small sniff (of disapproval?) and marked a spot. Then, he handed it back to me. "Where did you just procure that map from? I didn't see you get it from anywhere."

I looked from him to Harald, but decided to lie and say "It was up my sleeve."

* * *

Sheogorath's face was ashen white. "Do you realise how close we were?"

Alduin's eyes were dark. "She didn't see us."

"But she could have! She looked straight down over this edge..." Sheogorath stared up the jagged mountain side (much to her protest, Alduin had forced her off the path and they had gone rock climbing) to the courtyard above, where voices emitted.

"But she didn't."

* * *

"Do they think I'm their puppet?" I fumed, stomping down the mountain. For once, Harald and Eric had to rush to keep up with me.

"It's all part of your initiation." Eric said, his tone never changing from the one of complete calm and serenity.

"They wouldn't ever ask you to do something you don't want." Harald, for reasons I didn't comprehend, seemed to revere the Greybeards.

"Hang on." I stopped, pivoting to face them both. "Why didn't they acknowledge either of your presences?"

For once, the Nords actually conveyed a glance. A look of anxiety passed between them. This did nothing to curb my temper – did they have some big secret they were keeping from me? I thought they hated each other! However, as briefly as the exchange came, the expressions were replaced with ones of loathing.

"I don't know..." Eric replied slowly, scratching his forehead.

"It's not just them." I directed my eyes to Eric. "The guard in the Whiterun prison didn't seem to see you either. And when I went to tell him who you were, I couldn't get the words out."

Though I watched him for any infinitesimal waver of emotion, he gave none. He just looked at me, perplexed.

A silence fell. Harald eventually broke it by venturing "We should stop off at the nearest city. You two need armour."

"The nearest city is Whiterun...but I don't think the guards will be too pleased to see me." I gave a dry chuckle.

"Then we go to Windhelm."

* * *

Whoever made Skyrim should have made it much smaller. Fortunately, before Harald set us traipsing across the entire province (well, not quite), we made a stop at the inn in Ivarstead. As the three of us collapsed, beaten and spent, through the tavern door, the barman didn't even look up from the filthy glasses he was cleaning with an even filthier rag.

"We need three rooms." Harald said, filing through his pack to draw out a bulging coin purse.

The barman appeared not to notice, humming to himself as he wiped. Harald tried again, but to no prevail. Desperately, I cut in. "Excuse me?" The man looked up. "Have you got three rooms?"

"Three?" He asked, looking around as if for other people. His eyes passed straight over Harald and Eric.

"Yes. My friends are coming later." I was an awful liar, but there was no way he could contradict me.

"There are only two free." He shrugged an apology. Stomach plummeting, I turned to the Nords.

Harald held up his hands. "I'm not sharing with him. So unless you want to share with me..."

Willing heat not to flood my face, but unable to stop it as it did, I replied. "I'll share with Eric." Out the corner of my eye (I was refusing to look at him) I noticed Eric do a slight double-take.

"I'll take them." I resignedly turned back to the barman, snatching the coin purse from Harald and slamming it down on the bar. Looking suspicious, he wrenched it open and counted out all the coins. With a grunt, he nodded and pointed to where our rooms were.

Harald gave us a parting wave, a sly grin on his face, and I bravely pushed open the door to our room. It was extremely cramped. Pushed against the wall was one very small bed. Eric cleared his throat. "I'll sleep on the floor, if you want."

Aghast, I looked at him properly. He was staring down at his feet, his blond hair flopping across his face. "You can't do that! You'll get...attacked...by floor worms..."

"If you're sure..."

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll go and ask the barman for some food." Leaving the Nord behind, I hurried out the room. In the confined space, all I could smell was his musky scent, and it was extremely intoxicating. Relieved to be away, I approached the barman. "There were some extra coins in there – can I get two cheese slices and some mead?"

He snorted, but handed two of the deliciously scented slabs and a bottle glistening with condensation to me all the same.

With a smile, I returned back to our room, only to find Eric fast asleep. As his gentle snores filled the air, I gently pushed the door shut and settled myself at the foot of the bed, setting his cheese aside for a later time. Making sure not to jostle him, I set about for my first real meal in weeks. Sure, it wasn't much, but it at least sated the hunger and thirst that gnawed at me.

Quickly, exhaustion claimed me and I made to flop down on the mattress. But the heat that radiated from Eric made me stop short, unsure what to do. The floor really didn't look inviting. Swallowing hard, I slowly lowered myself beside him. He gave a grunt as the bed shook slightly. As I tried to manoeuvre into the most comfortable position, he shifted and turned to face me. Taken by surprise, I quickly forced my eyes shut. Rather pointless, as he was sound asleep.

Hesitantly, I pulled my eyelids apart. His face was inches from mine, and I could feel his breath tickling my neck and making the red hair splayed over my shoulders flutter. I'd never really taken in his appearance before. He wasn't that handsome, but his hair was thankfully shorter than as was usual with Nords, only just cutting beneath his ear. He had all the chiselled qualities of a Nord, with the sculpted cheekbones and strong jaw – I guess I shouldn't have expected him to look outstandingly attractive. The one thing in his looks that stood out to me most was the long scar that was slashed vertically down his left cheek. I'd never even noticed it before, but now it leapt before my eyes.

All of this observation took less than a second, and before anything else could happen I rolled over and stared resolutely at the dull grey wall beside me. Suddenly, I wasn't at all tired. The thought of the Nord lying inches from me had driven all thoughts of sleep from my mind. What the hell was I thinking? It wasn't even like I was attracted to him – it was just the tension I could feel driving us apart, yet closer together.

Eventually, I fell asleep while trying to recite 'Ho Hey, Sweet Lady of Wayrest' backwards.

* * *

I didn't wake up the next morning to the lullaby of a bird, nor the scent of cooking wafting up my nose. No, I was jerked out of being subconscious by the sneering voice of possibly my least favourite person.

"Well, well, look at the two lovebirds." Harald sneered.

I tried to jump, but something heavy was constraining me. Holy crap, what was going on? Had I been bound in my sleep? Somewhere nearby, I heard a door slam, and realised Harald must have left. Which then left...

I could barely contain a gasp when I remembered who was beside me. And that wasn't all. It seemed somehow in the night, I'd ended up between his arms.

Behind me, I felt a movement. This was just fantastic. He'd woken up. Relaxing my entire body, I tried to pretend to be asleep. "You're a terrible actress." A husky voice murmured in my ear.

Realising my efforts were futile, I managed to croak "What on Oblivion is going on?"

"Well, we were both asleep, and then we got woken by Dick-Head. Oh, if you're wondering about the cuddling thing..." he withdrew his arms from around me. "I guess we both don't have control over ourselves as we sleep." With a creak of springs, he pushed off the bed.

Trying desperately not to have a panic-attack, I rolled over to face him. "Don't worry." He chuckled. "I don't have a boner or anything. Honestly. I didn't try to rape you as you slept."

Blushing furiously, I watched him stroll out the room.

* * *

**A/N: Here it is! The moment you may or may not have been waiting for! Something actually happened between Eric and Rhiannon! Dun dun dun! **


	12. Stupid Was Invented by Me

**A/N: Brace yourself for seeing a new side to a familiar face...and no, Voldemort is not on the back of anyone's head.**

* * *

I couldn't look at Eric as we set off for Windhelm...but I couldn't _not_ look at him. It was like he had some kind of magnetic field that was drawing my eyes to him without me having any say in the matter. Why was I like this? We'd slept together...and though that may not come out right, nothing more happened! I was pretty sure he felt nothing for me – I'm not lying when I say most people would probably have hoped for a prettier Dragonborn.

Well, okay, I wasn't _hideous_, like some kind of horrific cross between a troll and a slaughterfish, but if you looked around Skyrim, I'd be one of the last people you'd call beautiful (apart from hagravens. No offence to hagravens, of course.) I was just a bit on the small size – and by that, I mean small in all the wrong places! Though my stomach had no trouble being a bit more than flat. Though in physique I was much like all other Bretons, one dividing feature I had was the bright red mop that was supposedly my hair. It always looked like someone had just squished a tomato over my head, to be honest.

But did it really matter? I couldn't care less about my appearance. I wasn't exactly holding out for the title of Miss Tamriel 4E 201. And why should I care if Eric didn't like the way I looked? Let him go and shag every Nord around, see if I care!

Yet...something told me I did care.

* * *

"You all right?"

I was slapped out of my reverie (fortunately, not literally) by, to my surprise, Harald, who for once sounded genuinely concerned. I wondered if I'd accidently walked into a tree or something; maybe I'd just had that look like I'd escaped from a mental institution. "Yes!" I squeaked, my voice coming out far too cheerily to be considered truthful.

Harald drew back slightly, his eyes widening. I knew what he was thinking, but it really was too late for him to just now realise that I was a little on the strange side. "I asked if you wanted to stop..."

"What? No, it's...it's fine." And then we all fell into silence.

* * *

Over the next three days, the tension mounted between me and Eric to an almost unbearable climax. But I was resolutely determined that I wouldn't be the one to break it.

On the eve of Loredas, just after we pitched the tent we'd bought from the barman, I set off in search for some form of dinner – preferably something actually edible. Suddenly, I stumbled (and I really mean it) across what looked like an entire picnic. Not giving it much thought, I turned to continue on my journey...then paused. An entire picnic...out in the middle of nowhere? How convenient.

Not even stopping to think about how unlikely it would be for a picnic just to happen to be out in the middle of the wilds of Skyrim, I lunged for the nearest pie...then felt something lodge itself in my back. A moment where everything seemed to obliterate into thousands of pieces...then it all went black.

* * *

"Think she's awake?"

"Dunno. I can fink of sumthin' that'd wake 'er, though."

I was suddenly aware of my surroundings again. Rather strange to think that just a second ago, I hadn't been. I couldn't really imagine what unconsciousness was like...was it possible to? "Now's not the time for thoughts like this!" I reprimanded myself inwardly. "Oh, well done, you're talking to yourself."

Trying to ignore the bickering that now ensued inside my own head, I focused on the senses I could use at that moment apart from my eyes. I couldn't feel very much, but I didn't exactly feel like giving a little shuffle. Strangely, I could taste something. It didn't really have an actual taste, kind of like parchment (not that I'd ever eaten parchment, of course...), and just seemed to be filling my mouth for no real reason. What else was there? Oh, ears! Well, that was easy. I could hear the voices of at least two men. Finally, I settled on my nose. There was only one way to describe the stench – bandits.

Great, just great. I'd led myself into a trap purely out of greed. And by the sounds of it, they didn't seem that up for negotiations. You know how little girls wish for a knight in shining armour to come and carry them off on their horse? Well, at that moment, I'd have settled for a horker in a helmet. As long as the horker wasn't interested in raping me, it had to be better than the bandits. Rather disturbing images of horker sex then crossed my mind.

"'ere, wanna go first?" There was that man's voice again, the one who sounded like they suffered terribly from a blocked nose.

"Hmm...maybe we should let her..."

Wait, what? What on Oblivion were they planning? I realised a little too late as I heard the sound of fabric brushing against skin and I felt someone grab my hand and pull it towards...

As soon as my fingers touched flesh, I reacted. A howl of pain shot through the air as sparks burst from my hand and ensnared the man in an electric cocoon. My eyes flew open and I made to leap off the bed...but something forced against my midriff as I sat up. Staring down in horror, I saw a thick rope tied around my stomach.

I may have downed one of the men (who was now rather humorously writhing around on the floor...all the while with his trousers open and something I'd rather not mention flopping around), but Blocked-Nose was still on his feet. He swept over his comrade rather gracefully for someone so big and beefy. Just as his fingers clenched around the hilt of his sword, I noticed black writing scrawled across his wrist.

Before I could stop myself, I let out a gasp. "Is that a 'High Rockers' tattoo?"

"Oh..." he gave a start and then his face flooded with colour. "Yeah, sort of."

"You like them too?" My jaw was practically hitting the floor.

"Yeah! They're the best all-Breton band around! I love their song 'The Lockpick to my Heart'." A beam had stretched his ugly features, and he suddenly looked so much younger.

"You know, I saw them live last year! They were just amazing!" Despite the restrictions over my body, my arms were gesturing wildly.

"I was going to go, but their concert in Whiterun sold out!"

"Hey, don't worry, they'll probably come back!"

With a booming laugh, Blocked stooped down and happily ripped off my bindings. Then, as he helped me to my feet, he stopped. "Wait...aren't I suppose to be killing you?"

My heart leapt into my mouth. "Nope, you must have me confused with someone else! Well, I'd best be off..." Even with my terrible lying skills, that was appalling.

As Blocked's face contorted with rage and his sword blazed as it flew from its sheath, I backed away as quickly my tiny legs would let, escaping the tent with him hot on my toes. Suddenly, as he raised his blade to strike, I heard the whistle of an arrow and watched a look of surprise cross Blocked's face as an arrow settled in his chest, directly over his heart, before he slumped to the ground.

Wheeling round to face my saviour, I dreaded the thought of once more being in debt to Eric. But it wasn't blond hair and crystal clear blue eyes that appeared before me. Instead, it was a heavy face surrounded by thick, dark hair and inlaid with storm grey eyes. "Harald!" I stammered, hardly believing it.

"Come on." He muttered darkly, casting a look at the motionless man he'd just shot and then turning and swiftly departing, me trying desperately to keep pace with him. Had the stuck-up Nord actually just saved my life?

* * *

**A/N: Confused? Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out more ;) And where is our favourite Dragon and the insane Daedra? Please leave a review if you actually want to read more (I've been slacking recently!), it really helps! It's like hugs...the more you get, the more you're willing to give out! :D Huggiez for everyone!**


	13. Rude Awakenings

If I'd thought tension had been bad before then, it was like a festival compared to the absolute brick wall that was stuck between the three of us as we huddled around the fire that night. Harald was pretending to be very busy cleaning the sword that he'd already cleaned fifty times. I was doing my best to find funny shapes in the dancing embers of the fire. Occasionally, I saw things that vaguely resembled phallic items, and tried not to laugh. And Eric...I don't even know what he was doing. He'd found a stick from somewhere and was using it to engrave something on the ground. Every time I glanced over to see what, he quickly shoved his foot across it and messed it up.

"Not that I haven't enjoyed this chat we've been having, but I'm going to bed." Harald got to his feet, casting Eric a disdainful look and me one that I couldn't for the life of me comprehend. It may have been 'I'm sorry about earlier' but it may just as easily have been 'Ah, Hagraven!'

* * *

Haskill's head rolled off his shoulder and hit the wall beside him. He jerked awake, rubbing his eyes with his hands. His head was hammering. How much of that Madhouse Mead had he consumed? It had to have been at least an era out of date. Things had been worse than one of Malacath's tea parties since Sheogorath had left. The inhabitants of Mania and Dementia had only gotten more manic and demented.

However, after a second, he realised it wasn't just his head that was pounding. He leapt from the Daedric Prince's throne and hurried to the door. As he reached for the handle, it was wrenched open to reveal...

"My Lady!" Haskill gasped as Sheogorath stumbled over the threshold. In her wake, with a face that was murderous, was Alduin.

"You said you'd help!" Alduin thundered, storming after her as she stalked into the room.

"Well, I'm not your puppet!" She swung round, her hair flying. He walked up to her until their chests collided.

"You have to do this. You don't have a choice."

"I have all the choice I want."

"You don't understand. If I'd wanted any old Daedra's help, I'd have gone to Mehrunes Dagon. He'd get the job done and done with plenty of destruction and desecration. But no. I came to the Prince of Madness for a reason."

"What is that reason?"

He smiled darkly and began to speak...

* * *

As the sounds of Harald shuffling about inside the tent died, I buried my face in my hands, parting my fingers ever so slightly to watch Eric as he carried on drawing in the mud. His face was twisted with concentration, but I noticed him twitch slightly, as though he knew I was watching him.

The next few minutes were agony. Neither of us spoke. We were both inwardly daring the other to break the , I cleared my throat.

His eyes snapped up immediately and I quickly lowered my hands to close behind my neck. "Did someone put a Silence spell on you?"

His visage cracked in a grin. "I could ask the same of you."

"Hey, I spoke first; I get to ask the questions!"

"And I still get to choose not to answer them!" He cast away his stick and got to his feet, manoeuvring around the fire and plonking himself next to me. I resisted the urge to recoil as his shoulder pressed against mine. "Come on. You're acting like I'm going to eat you!"

"It'd be a better meal than this!" I gestured to the leftovers of our 'dinner' (it consisted of one very mouldy apple each).

"You serious? There's like no meat on you!" He nudged me and I was caught off guard. I lost my balance and nearly toppled over, but he laughed and grabbed my arm to steady me.

"Am I going to be able to thank you for all of these times when you've saved me from quite serious injury?" I giggled, blushing slightly as he retained his steely grip on me.

"Depends." Hesitantly, he reached out his free hand and brushed a stray lock of hair from my face. My insides nearly seized up at his touch.

Slowly, he leaned towards me. My heart thumped against my ribcage like some insane bird having a seizure. His eyes never broke from mine. He was so close...too close...

Suddenly, a noise like a cannon blast made us both start. Eric lurched away from me, his face flooding with colour. His clutch on me was gone as he leapt to his feet. Without even turning to look at me, he dashed into the tent from where the sound of Harald's snore had just come.

Invisible ropes seemed to have snaked out the ground and entwined themselves around me. I couldn't even move. My mind was completely blocked with the thought of what could have just happened. But even more frightening was the way my heart was still racing. Suddenly, I understood what it had been trying to tell me all along.

Holy Molag Bal's pants! I was in love with Eric!

The last thing I remembered before I dropped off to sleep beside the fire was a slight movement in the flames catching my eye. A shape morphed between the glowing tongues, a shape with jagged teeth and great, spiked wings.

* * *

"Eric, you better stay away from her!"

At first I didn't know what had woken me, but then I heard the loud whispers issuing from the tent. Wincing as my muscles groaned, I slid across the floor to listen in.

"Harald, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I know very well what I'm talking about. And soon, she will too."

"You can't tell her!"

"Why not? I'm trying to protect her! More than you'll ever do."

"You're wrong!"

Though the voices stopped, I could hear them ringing inside my head. Were they talking about me?

As my blood turned cold, I looked back to look at the fire. What was it I'd seen there? A dragon.

The light from the crackling flames illuminated something on the ground. After squinting at it for a while, I realised what it was - what Eric had been carving in the dirt.

Two words.

'Forgive me'.


	14. A Not So Strange Stranger

"Why...why didn't you tell me this?" Sheogorath sunk onto her throne, her skin ashen white. Suddenly, she looked neither mad nor demented...she looked lost and innocent.

"Because I knew you'd react this way." He slicked his hair back with his hand. "I'm sorry, but you have to come with me."

"Wait!" She got to her feet, her legs shaking. "You said...everyone else sees you as a dragon? I don't understand...why don't I?"

"I already answered that."

* * *

"How far did you say to Windhelm?" I asked, coughing as I felt my throat burn. Eric was doing his best to keep pace with me, even though he firmly fixed his eyes anywhere but my person. Harald sped off ahead, carrying the map with him.

"Er...shouldn't be far." Harald twisted the parchment this way and that and I let out a groan. Really? We had to have the person who seemed unable to tell north from south leading! "Notice how the flora is lessening now as we enter Eastmarch, giving way to the tundra."

I tried to hold in a snort as he reeled off a long speech about the exact texture of the snow and the shrubbery, amazed that as burly a man as he was actually interested in plant life. Even Eric allowed himself a small smile.

I hadn't dared raise the subject of the conversation I'd overheard, and I was even more terrified to ask Eric about the 'Forgive me'. I knew I'd rather not find out the answer. And so things went on, with both of them completely oblivious to the fact that I knew what they'd said...or were they? Eric may have been unreadable, but there was definitely something in the stiffness of his posture that was unusual. Or was I just paranoid? Probably that.

What can I say about our walk? There was a lot of it. It was amazing how much of Skyrim looked the same, giving you the feeling that you haven't moved at all. That, or I was just walking very slowly. Eric was almost having to prop me up as I drifted off to sleep when I was jolted to attentiveness by Harald's sudden yell of "Land ahoy!"

"Harald, you do realise we aren't sailing..." I raised an eyebrow at him, but he ignored me.

* * *

"Where is she headed?" Sheogorath sifted through stacks of parchment and extracted a huge map of Skyrim.

"They are on course to Windhelm first, I'm not quite sure why. It seems rather silly, as it is out of their way for Ustengrav, their next destination. I believe they are after the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, the famous Greybeard." Alduin leant over the maps, and Sheogorath got a bit distracted watching his muscles tighten and his hair fall.

Quickly, she pulled herself back to reality as he looked up at her. "To Ustengrav? Are we going to try and beat them to it?"

"Oh, no." He straightened up, stretching his arms in the air. "We'll leave them to it, for now."

"So...now what? Do we return to Skyrim?"

"Now...we wait."

* * *

Windhelm lived completely up to my expectations, because I had no expectations having only ever seen one Nord town. It looked nothing like Whiterun, really, and that was no surprise, seeing as it would be strange to have two identical cities in the same Province. However, it was highly Nord-ish, with its high charcoal walls that just seemed to scream "I'm so tough! Come and hurl a cannonball at me, you little Imperial twits" or something along those lines.

Even with my small knowledge, I had retained one fact from my eventful first day in Skyrim – that Ulfric Stormcloak - who led, wait for it, the Stormcloaks! – was the Jarl of Windhelm. Harald went into rather a strange squeal-y mode when he saw the city rising up in the distance. What was so special about it?

I knew deep-down I really was rather disrespectful of these ancient Nord landmarks. Their entire culture seemed to centre on these things, so I decided to keep all snide comments to myself.

* * *

For a city said to be steeped in history, we all agreed there was only one place we really wanted to be: the inn. And, as fortune seemed to be on our side (not quite, seeing as the tavern had most probably been built many years before we were alive), Candlehearth Hall practically walked into us as we entered! Or..._we_ walked into _it_, which was more fitting.

"Have you got 3 rooms?" I asked, stumbling over to who I presumed was the innkeeper. Her eyes widened.

"But there's only one of you..."

"Yeah..." uh oh, lying time! "My friends are coming later."

"I only have two spare, I'm afraid." Déjà-vu, you are a bitch.

"Fine." I replied, fumbling with the coin purse Harald had thrust at me. "Here."

"Thank you. If you want something to eat, take a seat upstairs and Susanna will serve you." The innkeeper pocketed the pouch and then gave me a dismissive smile.

"So, are you two going to share?" I inquired angrily as I stomped up the stairs.

"Nope." Harald popped the p with finality. "But, if you want a break from Ass-hole, you can share with me."

"Wow, really witty nickname." Eric snapped.

"Almost as witty as Dick-head, wouldn't you say?"

"All right, I'm sick of you two arguing like old ladies! Just go away. Go and sleep, or something." I clenched my arms across my chest.

"Fine then, mum." Harald replied loftily, before turning and slouching away. Eric stayed a little longer, but I gave him a glare and he hastily backed away.

Trying to contain my anger, I slumped down in a chair, not realising I had company until I heard a voice.

"Hang on...you're with two very handsome Nords, and you're annoyed about it?"

I jumped, turning round to face a girl wearing a wide smirk. Her hands were folded around a tankard, and she had a mane of black hair that almost cloaked her face. However, behind the ebony locks, I could see a pair of bright blue eyes. I would have thought that they looked oddly like mine, but then I remembered most people had blue eyes. It took me a second to process what she said.

"Wait...you can see them?"

The girl's eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up to meet her hairline. "Of course I can see them." She gave a nervous laugh. "Why wouldn't I be able to see them?"

"No one else can." I replied quietly.

"One's blond and one's brunette, right?" She took a sip from her flagon, a slight foamy moustache staining her lip. I giggled as she realised and turned tomato red.

"Yeah, they are. And you missed a spot! Here." I reached across and wiped the mead away. She gave a small start of surprise.

"A hello would have been a more normal introduction!"

"Please." I rolled my eyes. "I couldn't let you walk about looking like a paedophile with half a moustache!"

She let out a loud screech of laughter, scoring many unnerved glances from the other inhabitants of the inn. When she had calmed down and wiped her eyes, she gave a huge grin. "I'm Epona. Breton, but I've lived in Skyrim almost all my life!"

"You're a Breton, too?" It would have been nicer to meet one with whom I could complain about the bizarre Nordic ways, but some things were too good to be true. "I'm Rhiannon. I grew up in Wayrest, I only came here..." I paused as I worked it out "three weeks, I think?"

"Well, Rhiannon, don't worry. I've lived here for 18 years and I still don't understand Nords!"

Inwardly, I noted that she was the same age as me. A coincidence, obviously, and actually quite a nice one. I'd been spending far too much time around men and talking to a girl was a great relief. "Are you here on your own?"

"Yeah, my parents joined the Stormcloaks and I decided I may as well. But they've been sent off to Winterhold, and I'm left here, waiting for orders. I think Stone-Fist thinks I'm a milk-drinker." Epona sighed and relaxed against the back of her chair. "Not too bad, though. I get commission and I have nothing more to do than hang out here."

"Well, if you want..." I trailed off, unsure whether I should ask her or not. "You can come with me and the two Nords?"

"Really?" Her face lit up, but then fell. "You're not like...a prostitute, are you?"

It was my turn to guffaw hysterically. "No! Of course not! I'm..." then my words skidded to a standstill. Most people must have heard about the Dragonborn...but even so...

"You're what?" She prompted, taking a large swig.

"I'm the Dragonborn."

Epona's mead nearly flew out her nose. She gave a great splutter and just about managed to retain all the liquid. When she had finished choking, she gasped. "You're the Dragonborn?"

"Yeah...why, do you think I shouldn't be, just because I'm small?"

"Oh, no! Rhi, you're no smaller than me! I think it's great! You show all these Nords that you don't have to have a head that scrapes the ceiling and a giant warhammer to be a hero!"

"I'm not a hero." I blushed.

"You are!"

"So you'll come?"

"Yes, I'll come! In fact, I'll go and tell Galmar right now! I'll meet you back here in a few minutes, okay? Oh, and by the way...I heard your argument with the Nords...though I would never wish to deprave you of the joy of sharing a bed with one of them, you're welcome to use my room. Elda always gives me the biggest one, and it has two beds...I'm not using both!"

"Thanks, Epona." I smiled at her as she gave a wave and skipped off, her hair streaming behind her. Something was rather disturbing, though. I felt like I'd seen her before...


	15. Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Eric?

**A/N: I'm afraid boring chapter is boring, but please bear with it! (it gets better at the end) **

* * *

"Eric?" I knocked tentatively on his door. Nothing happened. I really hoped he wasn't murdering rabbits in there. I tried again, louder. Still no reply. Nervously (desperate not to be met with the sight of dead bunnies), I pushed it open a crack. When no sign of resistance came, I opened it fully.

His room was cloaked in darkness. I squinted, trying to make out a silhouette through the gloom. Suddenly, a hand clamped over my mouth and I felt myself wrenched backwards. My spine collided with the wall and I would have yelped with pain, but the sound died.

Hands forced my shoulders back and I was rendered immobile. However, one part of my body was free. A burning feeling ran through my body, down my arms and to my fingertips. From my palms, light erupted.

Eric was standing before me. "What did you hear last night?"

Unable to stop myself, I rolled my eyes. Then, when he did nothing, I sighed and spat on his hand. With a shout, he leapt away from me. "Sorry." I said, though that was the one thing I was not feeling.

"I know you heard me and Harald talking."

"Oh, you're so sure of that, are you?"

"Yes."

So, I'd met Ralof, and now I'd met his opposite! "What does it matter? I don't know what you were talking about, and you're probably not going to tell me. Oh, and can I ask? Why did you have to act like a rapist? Couldn't we have had this discussion _with _the light on?"

"I thought you'd tell me the truth if you were scared."

"Look, Eric." I placed my hands against the wall to steady myself. "I don't understand. Are you just going to keep changing the way you feel about me? Because last time I checked, that's not sane."

"What do you mean, _changing_ _the way I feel about you?_ Who said I feel anything about you?"

"Okay, that's dumb." Never thought I'd say that phrase to someone else! "You _have_ to feel something, even if it's only indifference."

"You know what I'm talking about, and it's not indifference."

"Then, tell me why you wrote 'Forgive me' on the ground? I'm guessing that wasn't to Harald asking him to forgive you for being a jerk?" I was never good at staring contests, and I found it impossible to keep his steely blue glare.

"I didn't-" He stopped, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't write 'Forgive me'. I wrote 'Forget me'."

"That's a little bit much to ask seeing as I spend every single day with you!" I gave a small, derisive laugh.

"That's not what I meant!" He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Just go."

"I came to say sorry. I shouldn't have told you leave me alone. If it weren't for you, I'd probably have died more times than I like to keep count." Cautiously, I stepped towards him.

"I don't..." he stared down at the floor, but being small made this quite difficult for him not to see me as I drew close to him.

"I don't _want_ to forget about you." I bit my lip, hardly believing I was saying these words. It was almost like one of those conversations you plan out that are never going to happen, but now it was actually happening!

"Rhiannon, you don't-"

"Shh." I locked his gaze. Beneath his ragged prison garb, I could see him trembling. He was so close that I could feel his breath tingling my neck.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

* * *

I sprung away from him and turned to face Epona.

"I'm sorry. I was looking for Rhiannon..." She began diffidently, looking between me and the Nord. Quickly, I crossed the room to her and took her arm.

"It's all right. I was just saying goodnight. This is Eric." I gestured standoffishly to him. "Eric, this is Epona. She's going to be coming with us."

"It's nice to meet you." He said, not quite looking at us.

"Likewise." She replied, casting me a curious glance. Evidently, she was thinking she must be hideously unattractive for him to be avoiding her.

Eric, however, met my eye all of a sudden and I could read his look perfectly: "She can see me?" I gave a curt nod, turned on my heel and led my fellow Breton out the room, closing the door with deliberate force behind me.

Epona said nothing until we reached her room, where she closed the door and fixed me with a determined look. "What's his deal?"

"He's...reserved."

"Didn't look very reserved for you." A small smile played on her lips.

"Shut up!" I gasped, blushing furiously and, glancing around, settled on a pillow as my weapon of choice. It collided with her head, of course doing heaps of damage!

"Oi! Watch it, loony!" She curled her arm round my neck and forced me into submission.

"Okay, okay, get off!" I laughed, pulling myself free. She gave a wide grin and settled onto her bed with a sigh.

"So...do you have a crush on him?"

"No!" I cried, trying to ignore the heat in my cheeks.

"I think that blush would speak differently! Well, I don't blame you."

"There's really nothing going on."

"Sure, sure. Night, Rhi."

"Night...Pony."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

* * *

Harald did a bit of a double-take when he saw Epona the following morning. As we approached him, she tugged on my arm and whispered "Oh my Dagon!" If I hadn't been, at that moment, otherwise diverted, I'd have wondered what exactly she saw in the Nord. However, I _was_ otherwise diverted, as Eric emerged from his room. Just how much more awkward could things get between us? And what was more – when were we going to break the awkward barrier? I felt weak without his strong arms...as much as I hated to admit it.

"Harald." I smiled, mustering all my strength. "This is Epona. She'll be travelling with us."

"And fighting!" Epona interjected, giving Harald a wide grin. He returned it, but I noticed that it didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Don't get too excited, Pony, me and Eric need some armour first." I drawled, leading the way out the inn.

"Stop calling me that!" I could tell, even though I wasn't looking at her, that she was embarrassed. Harald, who I would have thought would walk with her, sped up his pace to walk beside me.

"Who is she?"

"Do you not have eyes? She is, or _was_, a Stormcloak; until I asked her to come with us, yesterday. She's not a milk-drinker, I'm sure. And, in case you haven't noticed, she's very pretty and she seems interested in you."

"I don't know." He glanced over his shoulder. "It's been a long time since anyone's looked at me apart from you, and I guess I just don't feel anything looking at her."

"Well, what do you feel when you look at me?" I asked jokingly.

He went slightly red and started mumbling incoherently. I quickly snapped my eyes away from him, shocked. What on Oblivion was he getting at?! Not that I didn't know...I just didn't believe it.

* * *

Oengul War-Anvil, the smith, looked less-than-happy to see us. However, when he set eyes on Epona, his face lit up. "A Stormcloak! How may I help you and your friend today?"

"Oh, I don't need anyth-" she started to say, but I interrupted.

"Actually, don't you need some steel armour?" I gave her a meaningful look.

"Oh, right, yeah!" She exclaimed, getting my meaning. Thank Akatosh, or else that would have been very awkward.

"Steel?" Oengul's brow furrowed. "Thought you were a light armour kind of girl." But he shrugged, evidently not caring as long as he got paid.

"And I'll have..." suddenly, I stopped. I didn't actually know what I should get. Epona helpfully inputted.

"Leather, right?" She was dressed in Stormcloak armour, which I would have preferred – blue brought out my eyes – but I wasn't a Stormcloak, so I couldn't really dress like one.

Oengul nodded and traipsed into his shop/house...I presumed it served as both. The heat from the forge was oppressing, but I noticed disconcertingly that Harald was eyeing it with interest. I was pretty sure his trail of thought went something along the lines of 'push Eric in.'

The blacksmith returned, laden with metal and leather, which he loaded into our arms. Epona, struggling, just about managed to extract a coin purse from her bag and handed it to him.

* * *

Back at Candlehearth Hall, Eric and I went to suit up. The leather was extremely uncomfortable, but I supposed it was better than getting mauled to death. Every time I walked, it squeaked slightly, but Epona assured me it would wear in soon. Not soon enough, as I didn't much fancy sounding like a Skeever being trodden on with each step.

Once I was equipped, she wandered off with a vague notion of "getting some food" and I went to check on Eric. Well, not so much check on as just satisfy my desire to see him. I was definitely getting past the point of trying to make up excuses for the fact that I liked him.

His door was slightly ajar, so I took this as an invitation. I pushed it open quite happily, and then froze.

He was completely undressed apart from a loincloth, and I was stunned into submission, not from his muscular form, but from the deep scars that were slashed across it.

My mouth fell open and he turned to face me. There was a moment where everything seemed to stop. Then I ran.


	16. Ustengrav, My Ass

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" I muttered breathlessly as I ran wildly through the tavern. As things started to blur, I felt someone grab my arm and drag me out of harm's way. Gasping, I collapsed against the wall.

"What on Oblivion was that?"

"I...I...Eric!" I stared at him like I'd never seen him before. He was fully dressed now, his armour broadening his figure and making him just as, if not more, burly than Harald. "You...you're..." I gestured hopelessly to his torso.

He gave a small, empty smile. "So, I've been through some things."

"With who? No one can see you!"

"Okay, that's dumb." He imitated me. I blushed slightly. "You can see me, as can Epona. Who knows who else can?"

"I don't know, and I don't care." My voice gave a small crack. "I don't like seeing you hurt."

"Why? Why do you care so much?" He had backed me into a corner, both literally and figuratively.

I dug my nails between the cracks in the stone behind me, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Damn, and these moments were supposed to be bad. I couldn't tell if my heart was thumping because I was scared or because I wanted this. "Because...because..." my eyes flicked inadvertently to the door, but there was no one there to interrupt.

He bent towards me, teasing a strand of hair off my face. His mouth was at my ear. "Because what?" His very words sent an electric shock bolting through me.

"Because..." his lips whispered across my neck, nearly driving the words from my mind. But somehow, I managed to recover my strength. "No!" Before I knew what I was doing, I had pushed him away with more force than I knew I had. He staggered back, looking not hurt or angry, but lost. A pain ripped through my chest as I saw his face, knowing I was the cause of it. "I'm sorry. But...I don't know how I'd manage this whole 'saving the world' fiasco if something happened and you left."

He took a deep breath, and then smiled. "I'm the one who should apologise. I shouldn't have done that...I promise, I'll keep my hands to myself in the future." He held said body parts up in a mock 'I surrender' fashion.

"Oh, no! Who else is going to stop me from falling off mountains?"

"Perhaps you should learn to?"

"Well, perhaps I'm a Divine." I rolled my eyes and strolled out the room, relieved at having had a more 'normal' conversation with him.

* * *

Soon, we left Windhelm, not the party of three as we were on our arrival, but a fantastic foursome (no matter how many times I went over the phrase in my head, it sounded sexual). Epona, it transpired, was a far better orienteer than Harald, and while the rest of us would have been baffled at the seemingly endless distance between here and Oblivion (or should I say, Ustengrav), she pulled a compass from her pocket and merrily led us all to our impending deaths.

Needless to say, it was a happier journey than before. I was a little bit of a damper with my constant complaints about Draugr, but other than that, it was a relief to have Epona here. Even Harald, it seemed, was happier than usual (a smile on his face was about as rare as the fairy goblins I'd read about when I was younger – despite what many people said, they _did_ exist!)

* * *

Ustengrav was located near a place that sounded a bit like Mortal, and I hadn't actually bothered to then take note of the actual name. Outside the tomb, what looked like a bar-brawl was going on between two people, but on closer inspection, it revealed to be a Bandit battling a Necromancer in a fight that probably wasn't just about who drank whose mead, and one that would end with probably a lot more blood and death.

Feeling no need to interrupt their fun, we stood back and watched them tear each other apart, then, as a victorious look spread over the Necromancer's face, it was quickly cleaned off by mud as he fell flat on the ground from the arrow sticking out his back. Epona grinned and slung her bow over her back. I was a little surprised – Bretons were hardly renowned as archers. But then again, what part of her was that normal?

More Bandits and Necromancers were engaged in scuffles as we entered the barrow, looking in no need of our help until one succeeded, in which case we took turns as to who got to deliver the blow. I was extremely proud of mine – a Bandit stooped down to inspect the Necromancer's belongings, and instead ended up taking a fireball to the face.

However, we reached a point where suddenly, they didn't need our help. Lining the floor were the corpses of Bandits, Necromancers and, I realised with a jolt in my stomach, Draugr.

"We need to be careful." I whispered, trying to ignore the stench of decay that crept up my nostrils. Then, something even worse than a smell met me. I could hear the all too familiar noises of the walking dead very nearby.

Epona nocked an arrow, a worried look crossing her face. Harald heaved his greatsword from his back, clutching it tightly. Eric unsheathed his sword, clenching his shield (we'd had to hurry back to the Blacksmith before we left when we realised he was unarmed). I led them forwards, moving in a crouch, sparks flying from the balls of fire in my hand. Unfortunately, Harald and Eric's armour weren't made for sneaking. They made such a racket that I heard the slapping of wasted bones against the floor and knew we had been detected.

For all their fearsome appearance, these reincarnated Nords were weaker than their living selves (most likely because all they were seemed to be sinew). Soon, we were stepping across their carcasses, wincing as bones cracked beneath our feet. "This feels so disrespectful." Eric murmured, kicking aside a head that rolled towards him (Harald seemed to have a liking for decapitating things).

"Well, it's this or they kill us." I replied, pushing on. Fear seemed to have dissolved into adrenaline, and I was ready to kick some dead butt, no matter how 'disrespectful' it was.

* * *

Not much happened until we reached what looked like a giant waterfall. Stretching into the unfathomable depths below was a great chasm. I wondered why anyone would have decided to make this strange water-feature in the middle of a burial tomb.

It seemed this place was kind enough to give me a break from Draugr, but not kind enough to give me a break from the dead altogether. We were met by skeletons, which were actually pitifully weak and crumpled from one hit.

Even deeper down this, for want of a better word, hole, was what looked like a great stone wall. Déjà-vu slammed me in the face. These walls _spoke_. I ran towards it, tracing the carvings I could feel inlaid in stone, and heard the word 'Feim' reverberate through my head. It was _not _a nice feeling; sort of like when you really, really need to go to the toilet.

After this, we were faced with a puzzle. "Oh, my favourite thing." I muttered, gazing at the three stones placed on the ground. As I walked past one, it made a strange chiming noise and lit up. "Ah hah!" I exclaimed after a minute. "Erm...sorry about this." I turned to face the three stones and sprinted for all I was worth. As the three gates opened before me, I shouted "WULD!" and soared through them. The final one nearly crashed down on my head but I rolled out the way before it could impale me. I straightened up, expecting some kind of applause. I felt like a badass.

"And we get through how?" Epona called, placing her hands on her hips. With a grin, I yanked the chain beside me and the gates flew open.

"Not bad, midget." Eric murmured in my ear as he walked past. I gave a small giggle.

They say not to fight fire with fire, and I apparently deserved retribution for using flames so much. As I stepped across tiles on the floor, they suddenly flared up and nearly scorched through my armour. I yelped and did the only thing I could – ran like a maniac. Until I came face to face with a giant spider.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Eric shouted as it lunged for me, and next thing, it resembled a unicorn with a sword sticking through its head.

"Thanks." I wiped off the venom that clung to my leather cuirass.

"How much further, do you think?" Harald asked, rudely taking over my job.

"Erm...I'd say this is it." I pulled a chain and another gate rose up before me to reveal a strange kind of walkway in the middle of a lake. Across the causeway, I could see what looked like an altar. As I placed my foot to cross, a great rumbling rocked the room and I nearly toppled into the water. All around me, towering statues were rising from the lake and looming above me. Worried that they were going to try and crush me, I dashed towards the altar and then froze. There was no horn there.

There was a piece of paper.

* * *

"The Sleeping Giant inn in Riverwood?" Harald repeated his question for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, dumbass, the note hasn't changed in the past second!" I jibed, blinking against the sunlight that blinded me as we exited the crypt. It felt like all we had done was walking, and now we were faced with more.

As luck would have it, luck happened to be on our side. We were in luck to be so lucky, wouldn't you say? As we began on the tedious journey to Riverwood, we stumbled across the bodies of a man and a woman, and beside them, standing sentinel, were two horses. With little respect for the recently deceased, I clambered astride the nearest stallion. It didn't appear too annoyed, but then, when did horses really have feelings?

"Oi, Rhiannon, we have to share!" Epona jeered, casting a meaningful look at me. I knew what she wanted.

"All right, Harald, you go with her and Eric, you can come with me." I shuffled forward to make room for him.

"Come with you." He whispered teasingly.

"Shut it!" I went bright red. He laughed raucously.

"Do you even know how to ride?"

"Of course I do!" I replied defiantly (and downright lied.)

Only a few minutes were enough to prove me wrong, and to bring the sight of Eric pushing me off the horse to sit in front. Begrudgingly, I climbed behind him and fixed my arms around his waist (I didn't know if I should be happy about that).

* * *

**A/N: I won't include too much of the main quest involving the Blades after this, because it gets tedious! **


	17. Sleeping in the Sleeping Giant Inn

We reached Riverwood the following morning, and we dismounted feeling considerably less worse-for-wear than if we had had to walk. The horses both gave a disgruntled snort at having had to carry us so far, but stayed put when we left them outside the inn.

"Moooorning!" I trilled, skipping into the tavern then stopping short. It was empty. So much for dramatic effect. I tried again. "Hellooo?"

"Maybe it's like a surprise party...they're all going to jump out at us." Harald gave a slight snigger as he spoke.

"Very funny." I scanned the room, looking for some sign of habitat. The only living thing I saw was a skeever scurrying across the floor then meeting an unfortunate demise in a trap. "This can't be right..."

Suddenly, there was a loud bang from outside. Epona's hand twitched, ready to grab her bow. "You stay here." She motioned to me and Eric. "Come on, Harald."

* * *

As the door slammed shut behind them, an eerie silence rang out. I took a cautious step towards the bar, the floorboards creaking menacingly beneath my feet. I stopped. That wasn't the only sound. There were heavy footfalls somewhere nearby. I glanced round, wondering if Eric was playing hopscotch, but saw him standing completely rigid. "Hello?"

"You're finally alone."

"AH!" I leapt back as a figure emerged from the shadows. Instinctively, I raised my hands above my face and tried to make myself as small as possible.

"You do realise I can still see you?"

Eric waved at the stranger, but whoever they were evidently didn't see him, so he proceeded to take hold of my arms and pull them down in order to make me look a little less stupid.

"Now, you've finally realised I'm not trying to murder you." The figure stepped forward and was suddenly bathed in light. I recognised that face... "Yes, I'm Delphine."

"Er...what? I was going to say: I thought you were my old housekeeper. But, no, we're not in Wayrest anymore."

"That's fascinating. But, I believe you have a question for me?"

"Well, yes, I do! Are you some kind of mind reader?" When she looked in no position to answer, I ploughed on. "Anywho, I would like to rent the attic room."

"Attic room? We don't have an attic room."

"Oh, okay. Sorry to bother you!" I made for the door, but Eric grabbed me and pulled me back. "OH! Hang on...why did you say 'you're finally alone'? Were you waiting for me?"

"We can't talk here."

"But...there's no one else here." Apart from Eric, I added mentally.

"I don't care. Just go along with it." Delphine crept out the room and into a side-chamber.

"And this is so much more private? I hope you're not planning on raping me..."

"Why are you so sure everyone is trying to rape you?" Eric asked, sounding more amused than curious.

"Close the door." Delphine commanded.

"You close it!"

"I told you to!"

"Well, I told you to! Now suck on that!" I really couldn't pull that phrase off.

"So, you're supposed to be our only hope? Talos save us." Delphine kicked the door shut and then proceeded to pull open a wardrobe.

"Do you know, I've read a book where they go through a wardrobe and enter this magical land..." I muttered, more to myself than to her. She looked like she was trying very hard not to strangle me. The feeling was mutual.

"I can promise you no magical lands through here. Just follow me."

I did so grudgingly. "Tell me why we're following her?" I whispered to Eric.

"She has the horn."

"What horn?"

"The horn we just spent hours delving into that crypt for that we found wasn't there!"

"All right, keep your loincloth on!" Delphine raised her eyebrows at me. "Just rehearsing for a play I'm in!"

"The Greybeards seem think you are Dragonborn. I hope they're not right."

"Well, that's lovely. But, unlike you, I have a world to save and I don't like you, so goodbye." Eric put his foot out to trip me as I turned for the stairs.

"Gah!" Delphine rubbed her hands across her face. "Did you come all this way just to _not_ get what you came for?"

"Well, if you have any idea where the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller is, go ahead and tell me!" I put a smug look on my face, which she instantly wiped off.

"I have it, you stupid-" there were probably many words she could have ended that with, but she chose none. "Here."

Without a thanks, I took the rather inappropriately shaped item from her and stuffed it in my pocket, not caring how sacred it was. "Anything else?"

"Why can't you see that I'm trying to help you? You don't understand – the Thalmor are behind the return of the dragons, and we must stop them!"

"All right..." I took a deep breath. "I'm going to say this once, and you need to listen. You need to get help. It's pretty obvious elves are not the cause of the return of beasts that existed long before they did!"

"You-I-how-what..." Delphine went red in the face, barely able to make any coherent sounds.

"You just stand there blustering; I have a Skyrim to save." With that, I turned on my heel and stormed out.

"You don't have _a _Skyrim to save." Eric corrected me as he hurried after me. "There is only one Skyrim."

* * *

Harald and Epona were waiting outside. Neither of them looked at all battle-worn. "What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing. False alarm, I guess." Epona shrugged, though she seemed disconcerted.

"Or, Delphine really wanted you alone." Eric mused.

"Okay, don't say that." I interjected. "It just does not sound right. But, you won't believe what this bitch said to me!" And I relayed the entire conversation, that really long one, the one that had lasted about a minute.

* * *

"Doesn't sound that bad to me." Epona said after a moment's thought. "She was only trying to help."

"No, I agree with you, Rhiannon." Harald stated. "She probably just has some vendetta against the Thalmor and wants to use you as a puppet to get revenge."

I hadn't even thought of that. It was actually a very good idea. "Well, where do we go now?"

"Did you forget _again, _Rhiannon, what we set out to do?" Eric groaned.

"Oh! The Horn! Right...so, I guess it's to the Greybeards."


	18. The Throat of the World Will Eat Me

**A/N: Oh, dear. Perhaps my longest chapter ever. Erm...sorry about that! But I promise, good things happen! Enough to feed your mind with even more confusion!**

* * *

"NO!"

The cheese Sheogorath was holding flew out her arms. "Hey!" She yelled. "I wanted to eat that!"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Alduin roared, throwing his hands in the air.

"I think you'll find it does." She reached out to pick up the fallen food but he grabbed her arm and shook her.

"Rhiannon is going to Paarthurnax!"

"Riiiight...and that matters because?"

"Because he knows the truth!"

"Yeah, I don't really care." Sheogorath turned her back on him and he fumed.

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT COULD HAPPEN?!"

"Look!" She rounded on him. "Who's to say he'll tell her what happened? Who's to say she'll believe him? Who's to say anything, seeing as it hasn't happened yet?! Now get your head out of that bloody portal long enough to realise that while you're in my realm, you go by my rules! So quit your whining!"

* * *

"Dragonborn! You have returned!"

"Yeah, why, didn't you think I would?"

There was an awkward pause. "Well, of course." Arngeir blustered. "I see you have company."

I refrained from rolling my eyes. Yeah, because I hadn't before! "I have the Horn."

"You do?" He held out his hand, beckoning me to give it to him.

Slowly and deliberately, I extracted it from my pocket (I really hoped it wasn't broken) and passed it over. He cradled it like it was a newborn child. "Thank you, Dragonborn."

"Yeah, do you know what I had to go through to get that? Freaking Draugr tried to murder me, after I had to WALK the entire way to Mortal or wherever on Oblivion it is! Then, I got there and guess what? The Horn wasn't even there! So, I had to go and chase after this loony who apparently thinks the Thalmor are behind the return of the dragons which is just dumb, because we all know every Altmer has their nose far too far up their arse to actually notice what they're doing! And if that wasn't enough-" Arngeir never found out what made it 'not enough' because Eric clamped his hand over my mouth.

"Yes, well..." Arngeir ventured after a pause. "You have passed all the trials. Come with me. It is time for us to recognise you formally as Dragonborn."

"What, because I was an informal Dragonborn before?" I pushed Eric's hand away.

He ignored me. "You are ready to learn the final word of Unrelenting Force."

"Oh, goodie!" I clapped my hands together. "I was so excited for this moment!" Eric stepped on my foot and I had to desperately hold in a shout, as the Greybeards would wonder what on Nirn I was yelling about.

"The final word is 'Dah', which means 'Push'. Master Wulfgar shall teach you it."

The fourth Greybeard, the one who hadn't been interesting enough for me to pay any attention to, whispered "Dah." And, once again, runes carved into the stone beneath his feet. I stared hard at the engravings, blocking out all thoughts until the word 'Dah' was the only thing left in my mind. Wulfgar gave me his light, how very kind of him, and I felt the Shout bubbling on my tongue.

"With all three words together, this Shout is much more powerful. You have now completed your training, Dragonborn. We shall Speak to you."

Speak to me? What were they-?

My question was cut off by what happened next. The world seemed rent apart as voices rocked its very core.

"Lingrah krosis saraan Strundu'ul, voth nid balaan klov praan nau."

The ground beneath my feet trembled and I stumbled back, Eric grabbing my waist and keeping me propped upright. I turned my head to him so fast I cricked my neck. He was...unaffected...by the Shouting! But it wasn't just him. Harald barely wobbled as the sound reverberated through the chamber. How...?

I had little time to ponder, for my brain was rent with the following words. "Naal Thu'umu, mu ofan nii nu, Dovahkiin, naal suleyk do Kaan, naal suleyk do Shor, ahrk naal suleyk do Atmorasewuth."

Eric tightened his grip around me. I could feel his palms sweaty against my arms.

"Meyz nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom. Dahmaan daar rok."

* * *

Then, everything fell back into place. I gasped for breath, my ears still ringing. Epona heaved herself from the floor, helped a little by Harald. Eric straightened me up, keeping his arms still slightly wound around my waist. Almost like he was...protecting me?

"Dovahkiin." Arngeir said, his voice slightly husky. "You have tasted the Voice of the Greybeards, and passed through unscathed. High Hrothgar is open to you." Tasted? Wasn't like I'd eaten their words... "But we have no time for idle chit-chat." Now that's a word you never thought you'd hear a monk say! "Our leader has requested to speak to you."

"Your leader? I thought you were the leader!"

"No. Our master is Paarthurnax. You are not ready to meet him...but, his word overrules mine. You will find him at the very peak of the mountain, living in seclusion. It is the greatest privilege to speak to him. Only those with a strong Voice may find the path up to the Throat of the World." Throat of the World? Was it going to swallow me? "Come. We shall teach you the Shout to open the way to Paarthurnax."

Oh, yay. Weren't they going to give my vocal chords a rest? Eric kept one arm lightly against my hip as we followed the Greybeards out into the courtyard. I noticed, in passing, that Harald shot him a murderous look. But I didn't care. It was all I could do not to grab Eric there and then and do unspeakable things to him...why was I thinking like this?!

It was no warmer outside, and Eric's heat was welcomed. However, the Greybeards led us over to a kind of archway thing beside a fire, which was considerably warmer than the snow. I squinted through the thick white sleet to the arch, where a strange kind of rippling was being emitted.

"Lok...Vah...Koor." Three sets of words issued from Arngeir's mouth and scraped into the stone. Lok Vah Koor. They raced through my mind, trying to fight one another for prime place. Stop it. I reprimanded them. This was what came from learning too much too fast!

"Your final gift from us, Dragonborn." Arngeir turned to me. I was slightly upset. Gifts were nice! "I will grant you my understanding of Clear Skies. Use it well." I felt the tingling sensation rushing from my head to toes and grimaced. "Clear Skies shall blow away the mist. Good luck, the path is perilous."

I tried to not tremble as I stared up to the unfathomable reaches where the leader of the Greybeards dwelled. It was, well, very high! The arch loomed above me, seeming to taunt me into passing through. Hesitantly, I stepped towards the swirling mists, but Eric pulled me back fiercely. "No! It's not safe!"

"Lok Vah Koor!" I let out an incredulous laugh as the mist evaporated. The path to Paarthunax was open. Suddenly, I felt like I'd rather have faced Draugr. Or maybe not...I wasn't sure. Desperately, I grabbed Eric's hand as Epona and Harald stepped ahead, setting off on the journey that may cost us our lives.

* * *

Who builds paths up mountains without as much as a fence beside them? Several times I felt my foot slip against the uneven and slippery ground, nearly sending me plummeting into the abyss below. Eric got so frustrated with me nearly dragging him off the cliff that he forced me to switch sides with him. It felt slightly more secure to be beside the rock wall, until we rounded a corner and I was against the edge again.

There were bitter winds that clawed at my skin as we ascended, and I could barely see where I was walking. Blindly, I stumbled into a cloud of the unearthly mist and I felt a searing pain shoot through me. "What did I say?!" Eric yelled. I winced at the harshness of his voice, and he sighed, pulling me towards him and clutching me against him. "What on Oblivion are we going to do with you? Tamriel got some bad luck when you became Dragonborn!"

"Hey!" I whined against his chest. It was rather uncomfortable, pressed up against his steel, which was freezing cold. He seemed to realise this after a minute and pulled away, stooping down and kissing me on the forehead. My jaw nearly dropped and I saw Epona over his shoulder, sniggering. He was my friend, Eric! Nothing more! Harald gave a sharp inhale and said "We should press on."

He seemed to have some staff up his ass, but I knew very well not to cross him. So, I reluctantly began walking again. The path was so far empty...but that soon change. I heard a strange hissing and spun round to see a creature inches from my face. It seemed to be made entirely of ice. Eric's hand leapt for his sword but I was quicker. I hurled a fireball at it and it trickled into a soaking heap at my feet. "Damn wraiths." Eric laughed and grabbed hold of my hand, only to let go with a yell as it burnt him. "Oh, crap, sorry!" I giggled. That was the hand that had just released a ball of fire.

The path rose in a steep climb, twisting around the mountain, and my feet were beginning to cry out for me to stop. I really felt bad for Eric, who was having to lug up my weight as well as his own, because I was too lazy to do it myself...no, wait, I didn't feel bad at all.

All of a sudden, the climb stopped and we stood on a flat plateau thickly coated in snow. In the middle, slightly out of place, was a stone wall. It looked like one of those that bore those strange ruins. As I stepped towards it, a roar split the air.

* * *

With a scream, I turned to the sky and saw...a dragon. It crashed to the ground, spraying snow at my face. "Woah, dude, watch it!" I shouted, then remembered dragons couldn't understand me. And that it probably wanted to eat me. Epona strung her bow, an arrow ready to lodge itself into the beast's scales. But Harald gave a yell and stopped us. The dragon turned its head towards me.

"Drem Yol Lok. Greetings, wunduniik. I am Paarthurnax."

"You're Paarthurnax?!" I gasped. "But...you're a dragon."

"I am as my father Akatosh made me. As are you...Dovahkiin. But...you are not alone. What brings these other three to my strunmah...my mountain?"

"Other...three?" He could see them.

"Geh. But...I know you." His eyes settled on Harald. "Ah..."

"You know him?" I shot a look at the Nord, who was staring at Paarthurnax, not in an altogether unfamiliar way.

"Geh." He repeated. "And...you." His voice was suddenly full of venom as his gaze fell on Eric, hand in hand with me.

"Don't you dare!" Eric spat, his hand reaching for the hilt of his sword.

"Eric, what are you doing?!" I cried, putting both my arms around him to restrain him. Paarthurnax glared at him.

"You would challenge me?" He threw out his wings, revealing his form at all its terrible glory.

"Eric, no!" He had drawn his sword and was glaring at the dragon.

"Don't...Rhiannon..." he struggled against me. I knew there was only one way to stop him. Leaping off the ground, I pulled him tight against me and pressed my lips to his. There was a moment where he seemed to freeze. Then, his weapon hit the floor with a crash and he responded with such force that he nearly crushed me. This was everything I had wanted, but...

Before I could think, I pulled away, jumping back to the floor and quickly diverting my gaze from him. My mouth burned with his kiss.

"Dovahkiin." Paarthurnax's voice rumbled. "You are not here for tinvaak with an old Dovah. I know of the Qostiid – the Prophecy. You must listen to me. Alduin and Dovahkiin return together. There is only one way to stop Alduin. There is a Thu'um – a Shout – known as Dragonrend - that was used by the ancient Tongues. But, I do not know the Thu'um. Krosis. It cannot be known to me. Your kind – joorre – mortals – created it as a weapon against the dov. Our hadrimme, our minds cannot even...comprehend its concepts."

"But...if it can destroy Alduin..." I was struggling to process all of this. Alduin could be destroyed...by a Shout? And...he had been destroyed before?

"Why do you seek to destroy him?"

"I like this world! I don't want it to end! I have to destroy him before he destroys Tamriel!"

"Pruzah. As good a reason as any. There are many who feel as you do, although not all. Some would say that all things must end, so that the next can come to pass. Perhaps this world is simply the Egg of the next kalpa? Lein vokiin? Would you stop the next world from being born?"

"Look, you called me here, now why do you seem to be trying to get rid of me? The next world will have to take care of itself!" I could feel the dragon blood in me boiling with anger...or it may have just been my blood.

"Paaz. A fair answer. Ro fus...maybe you only balance the forces that work to quicken the end of this world. Even we who ride the currents of Time cannot see past Time's end. Wuldsetiid los tahrodiis. Those who try to hasten the end may delay it. Those who work to delay the end may bring it closer. But you have indulged my weakness for speech long enough." Oh, thank Akatosh! "Krosis. I live here at the peak of the Monahven – the Throat of the World – because this was the very spot where Alduin was defeated by the ancient Tongues."

"Using the Shout?" I felt like I was finally learning, but then he destroyed my happiness.

"Yes and no. Viik nuz ni kron. Alduin was not truly defeated, either. If he was, you would not be here today, seeking to...defeat him. The Nords of those days used the Dragonrend Shout to cripple Alduin. But this was not enough. Ok mulaag unslaad. It was the Kel – the Elder Scroll. They used it to...cast him adrift on the currents of Time."

"Woah, woah, wait." I held up my hands just to emphasize my point. "Are you saying that they sent him _forwards in time_?"

"Not intentionally. Some hoped he would be gone forever. Meyye. I knew better." Congratulations. "Tiid bo amative. Time flows ever onward. One day he would surface. So, I have waited for thousands of mortal years. Waited for him to emerge."

"I don't get how this helps me." I was really not interested in the dragon's life story.

"Tiid krent. Time was...shattered here because of what the ancient Nords did to Alduin. If you brought that Kel, that Elder Scroll, back here...to the Tiid-Ahraan, the Time-Wound...with the Elder Scroll that was used to break Time, you may be able to cast yourself back. To the other end of the break. You could learn Dragonrend from those who created it."

"Can't I just look for someone who remembers it?" At his glare, I took it as a no. "Do you know where I can find an Elder Scroll?"

"Krosis." Stop saying that! "No. I know little of what has passed below in the long years I have lived here." Oh, dear...that's rather sad. "Trust your instincts, Dovahkiin. Your blood will show you the way."

My blood. Right. I would just go ahead and ask it a question, that definitely wasn't insane. We left the Throat of the World, feeling completely hopeless, until Epona, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

"We could try the College of Winterhold."


	19. Chasing Scrolls

**A/N: Now THIS is my longest chapter ever! But 19 is the best number, so it deserves to have the title!**

* * *

"When they named Winterhold, they should have called it 'So-Fucking-Far-Away-From-Everywhere'." I grumbled, slipping slightly on the ice as we descended the mountain.

"That's not a very family-friendly title." Harald chastised, putting away the map he had just charted our course on. "Besides, it's actually not that far from Dawnstar...or Whiterun."

"Yeah, okay, no one asked your opinion, Dick-Head."

"Greeeeat, I'm glad that name caught on."

We fell into silence, the occasional grunt as someone caught their foot on some rogue ice. The Greybeards were waiting when we reached the High Hrothgar courtyard.

"Yes, yes, I spoke to Paarthurnax, and I'm now looking for an Elder Scroll, and we're heading to the College of Winterhold!" I said before Arngeir could speak. My throat was feeling slightly sore just from _listening_ to that old dragon drone on.

"Well, that would be the place to find one. But what do you need-"

I held up a hand. "Private business, sorry." And I walked away.

Harald began a volley of vents "Why are you so disrespectful to the Greybeards?" was the most prominent.

"They're only human. They shouldn't be given preferential treatment for helping me. They were the ones who wanted to in the first place." I heard my voice echoing loudly through the monastery and winced at its harshness. Something weird had gotten into me, but I wasn't sure what...

"How come Eric gets preferential treatment, then?"

I spun round, throwing out a hand and curling it around Harald's neck. His eyes widened as his airway was constricted. "What the-"

"Rhiannon!" Epona's grip forced mine from him and she shook me. "Stop it!"

I stared at the floor, kicking myself. What on Oblivion was wrong with me? But, I knew I didn't have to answer that. The answer was literally looking directly at me. Staring me in the face. However you want to put it. Eric was watching me.

"Sorry." I whispered, more to my feet than to Harald.

My strangling became the least of our problems when we stepped outside and saw...

"The horses are gone. Fantastic."

Epona turned to Eric. "Wait...can't be just take a carriage?"

"No can do." I shook my head. "Nearest stables are Whiterun, and I don't think there are enough septims in the world to pay off my bounty!"

"Why do you have to have a bounty on your head?" She clenched her hands into fists.

"I'm sorry!" I held up my hands. "Not my fault...okay, it is sort of my fault. But, it doesn't matter! Maybe those horses just went for a walk..."

"Wishful thinking." Harald muttered.

* * *

However, wishful thinking transpired to be what we needed, because when we returned to Ivarstead, we found them by an apple tree.

"Woops." I laughed. "I think we forgot to feed them!"

Suddenly, I wished we hadn't found them. There was no way Eric would ride with Harald, I thought Epona would probably rather ride with Harald, but I didn't want to ride with Eric!

"I'll go with Eric. I noticed our horse struggled a bit, probably because Harald and I have more of a combined weight than you two." Epona met my eyes for a split second, which conveyed her message. Silently, I thanked her. Why did I have to kiss him? Couldn't I have just...I don't know, stripped? On second thoughts, I was glad I didn't. Last thing I needed was for Paarthurnax to get a dragon boner...oh Akatosh, it shouldn't even be thought about!

"All right." Harald shrugged, but Eric opened his mouth to protest. Epona shot him a warning look and leapt up lithely onto the horse, pointedly taking the front. Harald lifted me onto the horse and climbed in front of me. With a nervous glance at Eric, who was avoiding my gaze, I wrapped my arms round his waist.

* * *

I didn't like horses. Horses didn't really like me, either. Fortunately, Harald actually wasn't too bad a rider, so I didn't have to worry that much about falling off the saddle or something along those lines. Not that I wasn't worrying at all. Just not that much.

When we stopped that night, I was feeling sufficiently terrified about having to sleep in such close quarters with Eric. As the others clambered into the tent, I walked over to sit beside the river we were near. I wasn't sure what river, it was just a river. Maybe a stream.

As I slid off my boots and dipped my feet in the cool water, I didn't realise I had company, until I heard the cracking of a twig as someone settled down beside me. With a start, I turned, expecting to see Eric, but it was only Epona. She gave me a sly grin.

"What am I going to do with you? You're clearly insane!"

"What? Hey!" I stuck my tongue out at her. She kicked water at me.

"Don't you see the way he looks at you?"

I straightened up slightly, glad for the darkness that hid my blush. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you are! I may be one of the few who can actually see him, but that only shows me that when he looks at you, he would die for you."

I closed my eyes, clenching my hands around the grass. When I didn't respond, she continued. "You can't tell me you don't know. You have the same look too."

My eyes flew open. I turned to her, my jaw hanging open. Shit...did I really make it that obvious? She laughed. "Don't worry, I don't think he actually knows. It's probably just a girl thing. We're attuned to that sort of stuff. But, if I were you, I'd let him know. It's only so long before you lose him."

"Look, Epona...I don't know why, but I feel like I _shouldn't_ feel this way. Do you know what I mean?"

She went to nod, then stopped. "No...I don't."

I sighed. "I heard him and Harald arguing, when they thought I wasn't listening. Harald said that Eric was hiding something from me...I don't know, I asked him about it and he wouldn't tell me the truth. What do you...?" I trailed off as she looked away.

"Harald..." She absentmindedly picked at one of her nails. "That's another thing I wanted to talk about...you know that I like him. I mean, I _like_ him. But...Eric isn't the only one who would die for you."

I took a sharp breath, not believing my ears. She was wrong...she had to be. But, without saying another word, Epona got to her feet and hurried away.

I was left alone, with nothing but the river, the grass (and the rest of the natural world) and my very confused mind.

* * *

We reached Winterhold after a few days of boring walking, added on to boring eating and sleeping, making it a highly boring journey! The city was, for want of another word, ruined. A few houses were bravely fighting against the bitter cold, but quite a few seemed just to have given up and fallen over (I later discovered this was owing to an event known as 'the Great Collapse'. Very imaginative title.)

The College certainly looked out of place. It stretched out into the middle of the sea, attacked by the vicious currents, with most of the bridge crumbling in places. However, it was still very much standing, unlike most of the town.

As I made to start across the bridge, an elf barred my way. "Erm...excuse me." I said lamely. "Can I get past?"

"Not just anyone is allowed inside." She cut in, using her annoyingly lofty Altmer voice. I realised I may be a tiny bit prejudiced. "What do you expect to find within?"

Should I speak very formally? I decided against it. "I want to find an Elder Scroll."

Her eyebrows, already nearly touching her hairline, rose even higher. "Do you? It is true that there are some here who have spent years studying the accumulated knowledge of the scrolls." Couldn't she just put it simply – there were people who knew about them. "But what you seek does not come easily, and can destroy those without a strong will."

Not much hope for me then! I was about as strong as a butterfly. She ploughed on. Typical of Altmers to like the sound of their voices. "It would seem that the College has what you seek. The question now is what you can offer the College. Not just anyone is allowed inside. Those wishing to enter must show some degree of skill with magic. A small test, if you will."

I didn't have what you would call skill. Sure, I could do some things with fire, but I certainly wielded it rather dangerously. Instead, I said "Would you grant entry to the Dragonborn?" I could almost hear Harald roll his eyes...though, thankfully, I couldn't quite, because that would be strange.

"Dragonborn? It's been so long since we've had any contact with the Greybeards." Lucky you! "Do you really have the Voice? I would be most impressed to see that."

Whoever called it 'the Voice' really was unimaginative. "Erm...okay, then. If you're sure..." it wasn't exactly normal to Shout at random strangers. But, she literally asked for it! I eyed the bridge behind her...it wouldn't do to Shout her off it. "FUS!"

She staggered back, taken by surprise. "So, the stories are true!" What stories, I was the one who told you! "You are Dragonborn! Normally you'd need to show some aptitude with one of the schools of magic, but you...I think there is much we can learn from each other." Absolutely nothing I want to learn from you.

"So...can I go in?"

"Yes. Welcome to the College, Apprentice." Yeah, like I was actually going to go back there once I'd found that infernal Elder Scroll! "Just cross the bridge and speak to Mirabelle Ervine, our master wizard. Be careful. The way is perilous."

Now, where had I heard_ that_ before? She wasn't joking though. One part of the bridge had fallen away so much that the wall had dropped into the sea and given me a nice look-out point...well, it would have been nice had I not nearly fallen off. The gates burst open as we walked towards them, making me feel rather special.

The grounds of the College were certainly beautiful, but obscured by thick snow. Not that snow wasn't beautiful, but it was mainly just cold. A woman and an elf seemed to be having some sort of argument as I approached the main doors, so I steered clear of them. I wasn't interested in finding Mirabelle or whoever. I just wanted to find someone who would direct me to an Elder Scroll.

As I entered what seemed an entrance hall, I encountered a dark elf. He turned to me curiously. "You are new here, are you not? We have not spoken."

"Er...no."

His lip curled slightly and I wondered if I'd been a bit rude. "Then allow me to introduce myself. I am Savos Aren, Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." I curtseyed slightly, but Epona nudged me, clearly telling me to cut it out.

"Sir? How quaint. I am quite content to see nearly any aspect of magic researched here."

"Well, actually, there _is_ one aspect that I am rather interested in...an Elder Scroll."

"An Elder Scroll?" He sounded incredulous. "You will want Urag in the Arcaneum. He knows more than most will learn in a lifetime. Or several, in fact."

"Thank you!" I nodded and hurried off towards a door. However, when I tried to push it, it wouldn't budge.

"Not that one!" The Arch-Mage chuckled and nodded to the other door.

"Right!" I flushed and walked in the other direction. As I entered the right room, I nearly did a double-take. Every wall seemed to be lined with cupboards. Curiously, I peeked inside one and saw mountains of books cramming every nook and cranny.

"Get away from there!"

My heart leapt into my mouth and I spun around. An old Orc was glaring at me. "You so much as rip one of these books, and I will have you torn apart by angry Atronachs. Are we clear?"

I swallowed hard and nodded. He sneered. "Good. Now, can I help you?"

"I'm looking for an Elder Scroll." I squeaked. Eric gave a slight snort.

"And what do you plan to do with it?" Oh, I don't know, wipe my bum? "Do you even know what you're asking about, or are you just someone's errand girl?"

"Of course I do." The hell, I didn't! "Do you have one here?"

"You think that even if I did have one here, I would let you see it? It would be kept under the highest security. The greatest thief in the world wouldn't be able to lay a finger on it." Now, I bet that wasn't true. Some of those people in the Thieves Guild probably could!

"I need to find one and was told you could help!"

"I don't know who told you that." Blame Epona. No, actually, blame the Arch-Mage! "I'll do what I can. What we do have are plenty of books." No, really? I thought this was an alchemist's! "I'll bring you everything we have on them, but it's not much. So don't get your hopes up. It's mostly lies, leavened with rumour and conjecture."

Well, talk about a change of mood. For a brief moment, my eyes met with Eric's. He simply gave me a look that said 'this guy's weird' and turned away. One thing I noticed was all of these people used huge words that I had no idea what they meant.

The Orc set about opening cupboards and then laid two books on the counter. I picked up the one nearest and turned to the first page. 'Ruminations on the Elder Scrolls by Septimus Signus, College of Winterhold.' It didn't take many pages to realise that this book was clearly insane. Or more so, the writer was. "Erm...Urag? This 'Ruminations' book makes no sense."

He took it from me and flicked through it. "Ah...the work of Septimus Signus. He's the world's master of the nature of the Elder Scrolls but...well." he gestured at the book. "He's been gone for a long while. Too long."

"Where'd he go?"

"Somewhere up north." I thought we were in the north! "In the ice fields. Said he found some old Dwemer artefact, but...well, that was years ago. Haven't heard from him since."

That was...not at all helpful. I left the College feeling even more hopeless. How many more times was I going to be sent on these aimless quests? Didn't people (and a dragon) realise that all of this was not getting rid of the dragons?

* * *

Up north basically meant across the sea. I stared out at the icy waters, wondering how on Oblivion we were supposed to cross. "Hey..." Epona was squinting at the ice sheets. "These seem to form a path...come on." She hopped onto the first one, waiting for a second to see if it cracked.

Carefully (having to move in single file for fear of the ice splitting) we crossed the long, treacherous 'path' over the water. For hours it seemed we wandered hopelessly. "He could be anywhere!" Harald yelled, barely discernible over the howling winds.

I lifted my hand to shield my eyes and looked out. "Wait! There's something over there! Looks like some kind of door inlaid in the rock!" Hurriedly, I raced across the ice...too quickly. My foot slipped and I felt the ice give way. This time, there was no one to catch me. The water rushed over my head and I was plummeting to the depths. Now was the time where I cursed myself for never learning to swim. No, I cursed myself for being so damn clumsy!

Lights popped before my eyes as my lungs screamed out for oxygen. My mouth burst open, trying to gasp for air, but salty water rushed down my throat, choking me. A blinding white covered my vision, then everything went black.

* * *

"Do you think you could try mouth-to-mouth?"

I heard the voices before I opened my eyes. My throat seemed to be charred. With a great retch, I spewed out a fountain of water. Coughing and spluttering, I found my eyes had flown open. Eric was above me, staring in slight repulsion at me. No wonder. I'd just thrown up sea water.

"Wh-" my next words were cut off as he grabbed the straps of my cuirass and pulled me towards him. His lips were inches from mine when someone cleared their throat loudly and we hastily sprung apart. Eric's eyes were wide and he leapt to his feet, not before holding out a hand to help me up.

I brushed down my armour, shivering slightly as I felt the snow that had crept inside it. "Come on." I spat out the last remnants of water from my mouth. "Let's find the maniac."

* * *

He dwelled in some ill-forgotten cavern that was cold enough to freeze meat, though that wouldn't have been pleasant. One of the main features of this strange cavern was some giant golden...door? All of the wizard's earthly possession's seemed stored in this tiny cave. The man himself was there too. He gave an interesting kind of hello.

"Dig, Dwemer, in the beyond! I'll know your lost unknown and rise to your depths."

"Er...yeah!" I tried to smile. "I heard you know about the Elder Scrolls."

"Elder Scrolls..." he paused for a moment, and I hoped I had the right lunatic. "Indeed. The Empire. They absconded with them." Well, that didn't sound wrong! Or was it just me... "Or so they think. The ones they saw. The ones they thought they saw. I know of one. Forgotten. Sequestered. But I cannot go to it, not poor Septimus, for I...I have arisen beyond its grasp." New thing for me to find out – scrolls had hands.

"Soooo...where is the Scroll?"

"Here. Well, here as in this plane. Mundus. Tamriel. Nearby, relatively speaking. On the cosmological scale, it's all nearby." I glanced at the 'door' behind him. Was it behind there?

I took a deep breath, then regretted it as the cold seared my lungs. "Can you help me get the Elder Scroll or not?"

"One block lifts the other. Septimus will give what you want, but you must bring him something in return." Wait...wait? He was talking about himself as if he were someone else. Craaazy.

"What do you want?"

"Septimus is clever among men, but he is an idiot child compared to the dullest of the Dwemer." Oh, dear...what did that make me? An ant? A particularly stupid ant. "Luckily then they left behind their own way of reading the Elder Scrolls. In the depths of Blackreach one yet lies."

Harald took a sharp breath. I glanced at him, but he had turned white and seemed incapable of speech.

"Have you heard of Blackreach? 'Cast upon where Dwemer cities slept, the yearning spire hidden learnings kept.'"

"But...where is it?" I shook my head in desperation.

"Under deep. Below the dark. The hidden keep. Tower Mzark." Oh, well done! Mages now came with rhymes, too! "Alftand. The point of puncture, of first entry, of the tapping. Delve to its limits, and Blackreach lies just beyond. But not all can enter there. Only Septimus knows the hidden key to loose the lock to jump beneath the deathly rock."

"How can _I _get in?"

"Two things I have for you." Do not think of it that way, Rhiannon! "Two shapes. One edged, one round." Oh, dear Mara... "The round one, for tuning. Dwemer music is soft and subtle, and needed to open their cleverest gates. The edged lexicon, for inscribing. To us, a hunk of metal. To the Dwemer, a full library of knowings. But...empty. Find Mzark and its sky-dome. The machinations there will read the Scroll and lay the lore upon the cube. Trust Septimus. He knows you can know."

* * *

"So, that's what, our third maniac?" I asked as we left Septimus Signus' cave. "I really don't like being Dragonborn."

"Not forgetting." Epona grinned. "You're the fourth."


	20. The Good, the Bad and the Falmer

**A/N: Phew! This took a long time! It's veery, veeery long. Very.** **But involves Blackreach, so is instantly cool! :D**

* * *

"Know where we're going?" I asked, trying to look at the map over Harald's shoulder. There was quite a walk back to the College, where we'd left our horses, and none of us were exactly that sure of our next goal.

"Good question. Well, I know that Blackreach is in this area here..." Harald gestured at the parchment, but his hands were so big I couldn't actually see where he was pointing. "So, it should be round about here."

"That's great." As long as he knew...

* * *

"Soo...this is Alftand? I don't see any Elder Scroll." Epona slid off her horse and peered inside one of the two dilapidated wooden huts.

"I don't like the look of this." Eric muttered. "Looks like bandits are here." He nodded at the tents pitched.

"Well, we'll have to deal with them." I gazed curiously at the bridge, then hesitantly stepped across it. When it didn't fall or break or anything of the sort, I crossed and pushed the golden gates that led to a tower of some kind. Tower Mzark?

"How weak are you?" Harald called, snorting.

"It...doesn't...move!" I thrust all my weight against the metal, but it remained unyielding. "I guess this isn't the right way."

Dejected, I turned back to them. "You sure we're in the right place?"

Harald nodded, consulting the map. "Should be right here..."

"Wait, over there!" Epona rushed past him, seeming to run off the side of the cliff. "There's a slope." Her voice carried on the wind. "Come on!"

Exchanging confused glances, we shrugged and followed her. Round and round we spiralled down, until we stopped outside some kind of ice cave. "I guess this is the only way." I said nervously.

* * *

"By A-A-A-Azura, it's freezing in here!" My top teeth seemed to be having some war with my bottom teeth. They kept hitting one another. Before me, my breath rose in spirals. Skyrim felt like the Gold Coast compared to this!

"I don't like the look of this." Eric repeated as we moved on, encountering nothing but our own footsteps.

Suddenly, a voice cut through. We all froze (oh, what a pun!) "Where is it? I know you were trying to keep it for yourself, J'zhar...You always try to keep it for yourself."

"What the..." Epona whispered, taking a cautious step forward. We couldn't see where the voice came from.

"No! There's got to be more Skooma...Shut up! Shut up! Don't lie to me, J'zhar! You hid it! You always try to steal it from me."

I looked at Eric, who didn't look confused, but wary. He mouthed one word to me: Khajiit.

We continued on slowly, every corner taken with nerves. Who knew where this strange speaker lurked?

"Are those Dwemer constructs?" Epona asked as we came across a table bearing two golden objects.

"Spiders." Harald answered shortly. "Let's keep moving." He glanced around.

After a few more steps, I stopped. "I think there's something behind us." Slowly, I revolved my head over my shoulder... "Er, Harald? Those spiders...I don't suppose there are still living ones?"

"What do you-?" He followed my gaze and barely managed to stifle a yell. A Dwemer spider was lying motionless on the floor, but it then gradually started to lift itself up.

Before any of us could react, Epona relinquished an arrow and it fell to the ground with a clunk. She let out a heavy breath. "Just be glad we saw it before it saw us!"

I _was _glad. But I wasn't glad when we encountered another one. And this time, it definitely saw us. It raised a spindly metal leg and, catching me by surprise, impaled it through my foot. "AH-" Eric clamped a hand over my mouth before I could scream. With his spare arm, he drove his sword through the spider's body.

"Are you all right?" He gasped, wrenched its leg free from my boot and recoiling from the blood that oozed across the floor.

"Fine." I gritted my teeth and moved on, wincing as I put my foot down. First Draugr, what else were they going to throw at me that I could hate with a burning passion?

Lolloping slightly, I pursued on ahead of the others, down a slope, then staggered to a halt. A Khajiit spun round to face me.

"What? Who is this, Brother? Another of the smooth skins looking for food? But this one wasn't trapped with us..."

I tried to step back, but walking wasn't my strongest point at that moment. The cat pulled, to my horror, a woodcutting axe from his hilt and charged at me. Suddenly, metal clanged on metal as Eric's sword intercepted his blow. "Don't. You. Dare. Touch. Her."

While the Khajiit was distracted, I conjured a ball of flames in my hand and hurled them at his fur. With a howl of pain, the cat doubled over and then planted face-first on the floor.

"Are you all right?" He asked once again.

"I'm fine. Bastard took me by surprise." Eric sheathed his sword, his hands clenched into fists.

"We doubled back to look over those spiders. Sorry, I didn't realise you'd gone on..."

"You don't have to apologise! I don't need you to keep saving my life."

His shoulders slumped. "I guess I won't in the future, then." He shoved past me, his arm colliding with mine, and I took a deep breath, rolling my neck back. Great. Now he was mad at me.

Epona and Harald caught up with us soon, and we moved on feeling much less hopeful than before...or that may have just been me. "What's that noise?" Epona asked. It sounded like hammering.

"Be on your guard." Eric muttered, drawing his sword.

Being on our guard paid off, because the next thing to add to my list of 'Things that Leap Out and Scare the Crap Out of You' was some kind of golden man on sphere. As in, a man on wheels, only on a sphere. He rolled towards us, unsheathing his matching sword, and struck mercilessly. Needless to say, I preferred the spiders. Finally, it fell into a heap of pieces of metal.

After much wandering (much, much aimless wandering) and nearly getting pushed off a ledge by some strange pushing-metal things, we found a doorway. "Guess this must be the right way!" I laughed, rather relieved at getting somewhere.

* * *

"Wait...Harald, what are you looking at?"

He started and put away the book he was reading. "There have been journals around this place. I thought they might be important. But...no, they're not. Absolutely no help whatsoever."

Eric eyed the room. "What are these? Egg sacs? Didn't know metal lay eggs..."

"I'm sure it's nothing..." I felt slightly unnerved. "And I don't like this." We reached some kind of chamber with a slope curving down it. I couldn't see the bottom. What I could see made my stomach churn.

"Are those dead..." Epona stopped as the sight of blood met her eyes.

"What happened to them?" I bent down and tried to shift one, but saw it was being crushed by the fallen slope. We'd had to jump down to reach them.

"I don't want to look at this anymore." I made to move, but Harald threw out his hand to stop me.

"I can hear something below us...oh, no...I think I know what it is."

"What?"

"Falmer."

It didn't have a very dramatic effect on me, but Epona and Eric gave a collective gasp. "Wait, what are Falmer?"

Eric shook his head. "They were once Elves...but got enslaved underground and turned blind, eventually becoming the Falmer."

I was willing to bet all of my non-existent septims that I wouldn't like them! Oh, and who would have guessed – I won!

"It's just as well they're blind." I shouted over the clangs of metal, kicking aside the Falmer that crumpled at my feet. "If they saw themselves, I don't think they'd like it!"

Eric laughed, his face contorted with concentration as the Falmer he battled crossed swords with him and he strained to parry. With a swift, sudden movement, he pulled free and stabbed the creature through the stomach.

Leaving behind a pile of these god-forsaken elves, we pursued on our growingly hopeless task to find an Elder Scroll.

There was no new scenery for a long time. I felt drained from the endless battles with Falmer, who were levelling up with Draugr on my 'Hatred Scale'. Until...

"What on Oblivion is that?" I whispered hoarsely.

It was gargantuan. Golden and gleaming, towering so high it made large Harald look like an ant. However, at that moment, it was still.

"I've heard of these. Dwarven Centurions. They're said to be almost impossible to kill." Harald replied, his voice hushed.

"So, he's an expert in the Dwemer, is he?" Eric muttered, seemingly only loud enough for me to hear.

"Yes!" Epona burst out, barely managing to keep her tone low. "I met this girl in Riften, Mjoll, she told me she got attacked by one of them and nearly died. Mjoll is no milk-drinker."

"Well, whoopdie-doo for us, then!" I clapped my hands together. "That really gives me hope."

"There are four of us." Epona reminded me, sounding slightly put-out. I swore that was the last snarky comment I would make (...for a short while)!

"All right. Epona, you need to rouse it. Don't. Miss." Harald gripped his sword tightly.

She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Have a little more faith, Harald, dearest." She grinned and nocked an arrow. I held my breath as it quivered before being released. With a resounding clunk, it hit the Dwemer, which let out a ground-trembling snarl and raised its head.

"Go, go, go!" Harald yelled, charging at the monstrosity. I strayed back with Epona, hurling fireballs from afar. Nothing seemed any good, though. It slashed at Eric and Harald relentlessly. I felt myself weaken, the magicka inside me drained.

"Come on, Rhiannon!" Epona yelled, sweat staining her forehead as she fired yet another arrow. We were finally making progress. It was staggering slightly under our blows.

"Why. Won't. You. Die?" Harald swung viciously and hit just the right spot. The Centurion let out a strange shriek and fell, with a thunderous crash, to the floor.

Eric stooped down, fishing through the fragments of metal and retrieved a key. I noticed that he was wincing from a deep gash across his chest.

We moved on, but came to a sudden halt. There were voices: two people arguing. How come they hadn't killed all of the Falmer already for us? We waited breathlessly for them to move on, but then came the clashing and slashing of swords, and eventually, a scream. Nervously, we continued, only to stumble across the body of a woman. Above her stood a blood-stained man, who drew his sword rapidly at our approach.

"Now, look here-" Eric said hastily, trying to reason with the man. But he let out a yell and swiped his sword across the already deep wound in Eric's chest. I let out a strangled cry, but Eric gritted his teeth. "Damn you." He spat, then ran the man through. As his body slid off his sword with a thud, he turned to us. "Let's go on."

"Hmm..." Harald bent over a strange mechanism. "I wonder..." he delved into his pack and recovered the Attunement Sphere we had received from Septimus. He placed it in the machine and it whirred, before the whole thing shifted and stairs emerged, leading down to a golden door. We followed them down and he shoved against it, but it resisted. Now, who was the one calling me weak before? "Oh, we need that key. Eric, pass it here." He held out his hand...

Nothing happened.

* * *

"Eric-" he looked around, but saw only me and Epona. I glanced around too, realising the blond Nord was no longer with us. Before the others could react, I doubled-back and charged up the stairs.

He was knelt beside the two corpses, his gauntlets lying beside him and his hands pressed against the cut on his torso. Blood was seeping through his fingers like a waterfall.

"Eric!" I yelled, falling beside him and prying his hands away. "Stop! You'll infect it."

He raised his eyes to mine, his fingers interlocked with mine. "Sorry."

"Sorry for what?" I couldn't look at the blood that was dribbling over his armour. It felt like it was causing me physical pain.

"You'll have to leave me. I can't go on..."

My jaw dropped. "I don't think so! I'll carry you if I have to!"

He chuckled, squeezing my hand. "Tempting. But I'd crush you."

"So? I'm not leaving you here! Who knows what these Falmer are capable of? They could reincarnate and come and rape you!" I gestured wildly with my free arm.

"I really don't think they'd do that."

"You don't know." I replied stubbornly. He traced his finger across my bottom lip, which was jutting out.

"There's nothing you can do." He sighed, letting my hand drop. His eyes briefly travelled over my shoulder, and I assumed Epona and Harald were being nosy onlookers.

"That's not true!" I screwed eyes shut, trying to remember what I'd learnt from my mum as a kid. She'd always tried to discourage me from Destruction and get me to focus on Restoration...oh, why hadn't I wanted to learn?!

He brushed the hair off my face and leant towards me, whispering "You'll forget about me eventually."

"Why would I do that?" I shivered in spite of myself as his breath touched my bare skin.

"You don't need two men vying for your affection." He nodded to the area behind me, where Harald lurked.

"Look, my life isn't some crappy teenage fiction book! There's only one." I placed my hand over his wound.

"Then, I hope for your sake that it's neither of us." His jaw tightened. "I told you to forget me."

"And, I chose not to. Now, quit your whining, and get up."

"I told you, go on without me!"

"What, without someone who's perfectly capable of walking? Lazy arse." I rolled my eyes, getting to my feet.

"What do you mean...?" He trailed off as he looked down and saw nothing but a chunk missing from his armour, cut free.

I waved my fingers. "Yes, yes, thank me later. I believe we have an Elder Scroll to find."

* * *

"Woah."

We all stopped, seemingly paralyzed. What was this...this place?

Harald let out an astounded gasp. "We're in Blackreach!"

I shook my head, dumb-founded. "It's...beautiful. But, it makes me sad. I don't know why."

"I don't think anyone who's come here has made it out alive." Eric's eyes scanned the expanse before us.

"To think, this was once a Dwemer city..." Epona sighed rather reminiscently. I don't know why, she'd never lived here! At least, I hoped not. "We'd better be careful. I don't want to think how easy it would be to lose yourself here."

"Wait..." Harald held out an arm to stop her moving. "We can't take all of these Falmer, can we?"

"Well...they _are_ blind. We could try and sneak past them." Eric looked dubious.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "You two?" I gestured at Harald and Eric "The Clangers?"

"Worth a shot."

"But what about the Chaurus? They're not blind." Harald intercepted.

Epona thought for a moment. "That water could be a good hiding place...maybe we could follow it round? I can see the Tower over there, and it leads up to it."

"Is now really the time to go swimming?" I threw my hands up in exasperation.

"I meant." She clenched her teeth. "They probably wouldn't see us in there. Besides, if one looks, we can duck under."

"That's not actually a bad suggestion." Eric mused. I thought it was, but that was because I couldn't swim. I voiced this.

"You can't swim?!"

"Well...I can flail around and pretend I am?"

Epona groaned. "You will be the death of us, Rhiannon. Well, I guess we're back to surface sneaking."

We moved as silently as possible, every step bringing forth a new bout of trepidation. For the most part, we stayed as far away from any foe as was possible. There were many areas of almost complete darkness that shrouded us well, should anything think they saw us.

There was one aspect that I'd forgotten about. My dodgy foot.

"There's only one way." Epona whispered, barely audibly. "We're going to be very close to those Falmer. If we take it slow and steady, we'll get passed."

Slow and steady worked well...until a sudden pain flared in my foot and my ankle decided to perform a Leap of Faith sideways. I stumbled, crashing into Eric, who gave a low, metallic thud. It was enough. The Falmer started, drawing their weapons and closing in on us. As one, we all turned to one another. There was only one option.

Eric grabbed my hand as we dived into the water.

The surface seemed endless miles away. I could just see light breaking through. It took all my strength not to panic as déjà-vu hit me from my moment of almost drowning only a little while before. Oh crap...panic crashed over me and I kicked out desperately, expelling the last breath from my lungs as I tried to cry out.

Eric's eyes widened and he shook his head fiercely, pointing up. Beside us, Harald and Epona had their eyes closed and were barely moving, looking like they were praying. I tried to calm myself, but my lungs were beginning to scramble for oxygen.

As I started to sink slightly, Eric grabbed me and pulled me close to him. He wrapped his arms around me and treaded water, keeping me floating. My head sunk onto his shoulder and he stroked my hair. Slowly, my mind settled and I tried to divert every thought from the possibility of my death.

* * *

Above me, I felt Eric nod. Then, I felt him kicking, rising up to the surface. As we broke free, I let out a great gasp, savouring the wondrous flood of air that ran through me. Never before had I ever been so happy to breath.

He grinned at me, looking disconcertingly handsome with his hair soaked and straggly. His arms uncoiled from round my waist, one of his hands taking mine. His touch was slightly rough, as he was wearing his gauntlets again.

"They're gone." Harald murmured, each syllable bursting with relief.

Eric guided me through the water as we swam towards the great Tower, but I was highly relieved to be back on land when we reached it. Even if that land was infested with Falmer.

We managed, by a close shave (what a strange expression. We hadn't actually been shaved. Though Harald could use one. Hours of walking had taken its toll.) to sneak past them.

Up through the tower, past a dead body (very pleasant) and suddenly, we were there. In the centre of this enormous chamber was some insane golden contraption. Two sweeping slops led up to a set of controls.

"Ah...now...what do we press?" Epona studied the buttons.

"First things first." Harald took the Lexicon from his sack and placed it on the end stand, the Receptacle.

"Now, onto the pressing!" Epona looked rather excited. She gazed at the map in the middle, tracing line with her fingers. I tried to hold in a laugh as she muttered to herself. "I'll pick...this one, first." She pressed one, the taller to the right. When nothing happened, she pressed the one to the right of it. "And then..." she pressed the first one twice more, and then another button lit up. "I am good!" She grinned and pushed said new button. Once more...and the last button lit up! She pressed it with an overwhelming air of finality.

From the ceiling, several emerald orbs descended to the centre.

We watched in awe as one split apart to reveal...the Elder Scroll.

"WE DID IT!" I jumped up and down, narrowly avoiding Eric's foot, high-fiving and hugging Epona. The two Nords looked a bit left out of the girly shrieks.

"Once you two both stop, will we get what we came for?" Harald drawled.

I turned to him, smirking. "Oh, Harald, when are you going to lighten up?" I punched him playfully on the shoulder and he smiled in spite of himself.

Beneath the controls was a lift which led out of Blackreach, and as we burst out into the sunlight of Skyrim (momentarily impeded by being stuck behind the golden gates of the tower before one of us found the lever) we were feeling mightily pleased with us. On Eric's back sat proudly an Elder Scroll – the scroll they hadn't trusted me to carry. How. Rude.

* * *

**A/N: This is my final chapter for probably a while! Off to Austria on holiday, don't know whether I'll be able to get on! But I'll still be writing! Keep being awesome! :D **


	21. Who Says Dreams Aren't Real?

**A/N: Sorry! Been busy on holiday, finally got round to updating! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"This must be nearly it, right?" Epona heaved a sigh.

I frowned. "Nearly what? We're nowhere near High Hrothgar yet, much as I wish we were."

Harald was consulting the map and Eric just looked bored – he was juggling some of the apples that I hoped he wouldn't drop, because they were dinner for our horses. Epona fiddled with her pack and then flopped beside me by the fire. "I mean...this is nearly the end of our 'quest'" She grinned at the last word.

"It's not a particularly easy end." I laughed. "Because it will either involve my death or Alduin's."

Epona picked at one of her nails. "Can I...after this is all over, can I stay with you?"

I raised my eyebrows, surprised. "Er...sure! But, won't the Stormcloaks want you back?"

"I handed over my resignation. I just...I'm really sick of wandering Skyrim, not knowing what I'm really doing. Now, I've found another wanderer, and I want to stick beside you, so we can wander together."

I smiled, feeling my eyes prick slightly with something hot. Seriously? Getting all sentimental? I hoped it was dim enough for her not to see...or at least to pass off as some kind of allergy to the mushrooms we'd eaten for supper. "That sounds like some really corny romance novel."

She stuck her finger up at me. "I'm in _lurve_ with you..." she lowered her voice "like some people." Her eyes travelled across the two Nords, lingering long on Eric. "But, I've never had a best friend, or a sister, and now, you feel like both."

I could see her eyes glistening. This would be rather awkward if we both started bawling. "Of course. I know I'll need someone to stop me getting lost! Besides, if it weren't for you, I'd have gone mad."

"I think we passed that Guardian Stone a long time ago."

"Hey!" I slapped her arm. "I'm really grateful to you for being here."

"Well, I'm grateful to you for bringing me with you!" She pulled me into a tight, nearly suffocating hug.

"Oh, in the name of Talos, spare the sob-fest." Harald drawled. I turned my head to him and glared. "Careful, Rhiannon, if you frown much more, your eyebrows will stay like that permanently."

I flushed and extracted myself from Epona, who was looking rather put-out. Harald got to his feet and looked at me pointedly. I couldn't understand what he was asking of me. It could have been to get up too, or it could have been blaming me for eating the last mushroom earlier.

"I need to talk to you." He said after a long time of eye-widening and jerking of his head.

"Oh!" I quickly clambered to my feet, brushing off the mud. Epona opened her mouth to speak, but I cast her a hasty glance that told her I'd be back as soon as possible. Eric didn't really seem to notice.

Harald strode into the nearby forest, pushing past the branches as easily as if they were air. However, each one he brushed aside came back and whacked me hard. When he eventually stopped, in a clearing, I was scratched so much I looked like I'd gotten in some fierce fight with, well, a person with blunt nails. They weren't that bad scratches.

"Look." He rounded on me and I had to lurch to a halt to stop myself walking into him. Regaining myself, but not my dignity, I raised my eyes to his, which was hard, as I was staring nearly vertically at the sky.

"What?"

"I need to give you a warning." I nodded expectantly, waiting for him to continue. He took a deep breath. "You can't trust Eric."

I closed my eyes as he confirmed my suspicions. Was he still on about this? "And why not?"

"Because he's never told you half of the truth about him."

I tried to straighten myself up to be more on level with him – I failed. "And how do you know what's true?"

He gave a low chuckle. "When you first met me is not when he first did. We go back a long way."

My eyes widened. "And you're blaming him for not telling me? You're keeping secrets from me too! I just have to learn to live with knowing that I don't know everything."

"Doesn't that make you feel left out? Wouldn't you like to know, if you could?"

"What do you mean?"

"I could tell you. If you promise to stay away from him, I'll tell you."

I laughed incredulously. "Promise to stay away from him? How can I be so sure that you're not just as 'untrustworthy' as him?"

"I have done nothing but try to protect you."

"Yeah, well maybe I don't need your protection! Maybe I don't want it!"

His jaw tightened. "Why are you so certain he cares about you?"

"Why are you so certain he doesn't?"

"Because I know he will kill you!"

An awful silence rang out. A lump rose in my throat, rendering it painful to swallow. As the shock drained away, it was replaced with anger. Harald took a step closer to me, bearing down on me like a bird of prey. "Why do you trust him?"

"Because I love him."

The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them. My eyes widened as I said it.

Harald's gaze hardened. "What makes you think he will care about that?"

"Because I love her too."

We both spun round. Eric was standing beside the edge of the forest, leaning against a tree-trunk. He avoided my eyes as he walked slowly towards us. When he reached us, he coiled his arms around me from behind and hugged me tightly to him. "I'd never hurt her. You're wrong, what you think about me is wrong."

Harald smirked. "I know you mean none of this, Eric. Do you forget what I know about you? You haven't changed in the slightest."

I took a moment to process what was going on. Were two men fighting..._over me?_ I realised I didn't actually like it. I felt like one of those girls from some of the books I'd read. What were they called? Something like a Mary-Sue.

"You don't know the slightest thing about me, Harald. I'm still paying for what you did to me."

"Look, Eric, I advise you back away right now. I'm here to protect her, and I won't let you finish what you started." Harald took a step towards Eric, but before he could move more than a centimetre, a deafening shout ripped the air.

"FUS RO DAH!"

Harald flew back, his body writhing in the air. He hit the water with a splash and a sickening crunch as his head collided with rock.

I wrenched myself free from Eric and wheeled round to face him. I hadn't Shouted...it was him.

"Rhiannon..."

He looked at me for a long moment then pulled me into a crushing hug. He stroked my hair and whispered. "It's all right now."

* * *

Alduin stared at the orb in his hand. He then shook it, his brow furrowing. Sheogorath cleared her throat, hovering in the doorway. "Erm...what's that?"

"It's my way of monitoring Skyrim."

"Where the hell did you get one of those?" She sat down, staring at it in awe. "I want one!"

"No, you like it because it's shiny. It would be of no use to you, and you wouldn't understand it. Only a dragon does." He lifted it out of reach of her prying fingers.

"Well, then." She folded her arms over her chest and huffed. This only lasted for a short while. She was too intrigued. "So, what's happening in my old homeland?"

"It's not your old homeland." He rolled his eyes. "I don't know if you still count as one, but when you were the Hero of Kvatch you were a Breton. Just like our dearest Dragonborn." He winked.

"Oh...yes. I forgot that. What about you? What are you classed as?"

He raised his eyebrows incredulously. "I'm a dragon. How many times must I tell you?"

"Well, you're human to me!"

"You're just strange. I don't understand, though...she met Epona, but who are these two men?" He squinted, staring down at the glass sphere intently. Suddenly, he let out a loud gasp and it nearly flew out his hands. Sheogorath flinched and ducked, but he kept hold of it. "That..." Anger radiated from him. "How...dare...he...he's helping her...unless..." he seemed to be having trouble stringing coherent sentences together. "Perhaps...we shall see."

Sheogorath nodded bemusedly, pretending she understood. He rose to his feet, knowing where he had to go – and knowing she couldn't follow. "I'm going to bed."

As he strode out the room, she frowned. It was the middle of the afternoon. Maybe dragons had different sleeping patterns...

* * *

My eyes flew open. I sat up, shoving the covers of my bedroll off me. Sweat soaked my body and my mind reeled.

"Rhiannon?"

Eric looked up at me. We were sitting alone in the tent. It all washed back over me. Harald and Epona had gone hunting. The latter had said something about teaching the former how to shoot properly, and I could just about here her instructing him on the correct way to hold a bow. And I'd just been dreaming. Eric lifted his knees up and rested his hands on them.

"Sorry, bad dream."

"About what?"

"I..." I realised I couldn't tell him the truth. What, I'd dreamt I'd been told he would murder me? Sure, that would make him happy. "I was thinking." My mind wandered back to the conversation me and Epona had had in the dream. I tried to cling onto it as it slipped away. "What happens when this is all over? Once I've killed Alduin?"

"I...never really thought about it."

"I guess I'll just go on with my life. Maybe I'll head to the College of Winterhold, learn how to use magic properly." I wasn't really talking to him, just voicing my thoughts. "But what about you?" I turned to him.

He took a while to answer. "I'll do whatever you want me to, but I suppose it'll be goodbye."

"This is all depending on whether I kill Alduin. I mean, what if I don't? Then, what will become of Skyrim? Of all Tamriel?" I bit one of my nails nervously. He gently prized my finger from my mouth and held my hand tightly.

"You will. It's part of the destiny of the Dragonborn. Besides, you won't be alone. We've been here all along, haven't we? We're not going to leave." He smiled.

"The Dragonborn is supposed to be some brave and fierce warrior, like you, or Harald. Or even Epona, she'd be better than me! I'd be dead if not for all of you! Especially you. It makes me seem pathetic."

"Hey..." he squeezed my hand. "Remember the Hero of Kvatch? You've probably read about her. Everyone was surprised that the Hero was a female Breton...but she proved them all wrong, and she saved Cyrodiil. I hear she used magic. I wonder what became of her..."

"I don't use magic. I...blow things up. There's a difference."

He gave a small laugh. "You know...you've never told me about yourself."

"I could say the same to you." I raised an eyebrow.

"I guess you could. All right, we'll take it in turns. How did you end up in Skyrim?"

I paused, trying to remember. "I left Wayrest when I turned eighteen...see, I'm actually an orphan." I noticed his shocked expression. "It's hardly a sad story. I grew up with my adoptive parents, and I've never cared. One day, I got a letter...from my mum. She asked me to come and meet her in Skyrim, so, I did. Turns out it was just a fake, but then I ended up getting really lost here and I couldn't find my way back home."

"So, that's how you got ambushed by the Imperials and ended up in Helgen?" He nodded as if to confirm he understood.

"I-" I stopped, drawing back slightly. "I never told you about that."

"You're the _Dragonborn_. Not just some old merchant. Everyone knows your story!"

I swallowed hard. Was he lying to me? But I had more pressing questions. "When we first met, you told me you got imprisoned for killing people. Who?"

His face darkened. "Lots of people, almost an entire town. I told you, I didn't. I know who did, but it wasn't me."

"Then, who was it?"

"It's my go." He cleared his throat, and I realised he'd let go of my hand. Perhaps I shouldn't have asked that last question. "Do you wish you weren't Dragonborn?"

I sighed. "I don't, but I also don't not. Sometimes, I wish I lived my old life...but, I know if I'd never been Dragonborn, I'd never have met you..." I trailed off, realising what I'd just said and blushing. He chuckled. I took a deep breath and said "My turn. Why can no one else see you?"

He yawned, stretching wide. "You have to ask me all these questions. I don't know why, I'm living just as much as you are."

I wasn't completely satisfied with his answer, but that was all he was giving me. A sly grin crossed his face as he contemplated his next question. "How old do you think I am?"

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Judging from the grey hair, I'd say a hundred."

"Not even close! I'm the same age as you!" he smirked.

"Really?"

"Yep. Your turn." He settled back, propping himself up on his arms.

A memory of my dream crept back into my mind. "Did you know Harald before I did?"

His brow furrowed. "Why would you ask that? But..." he took a deep breath. "Yes, I did."

My eyes widened. Was my dream not so much fictitious as I'd thought?

Eric took a long while answering. At last, he ventured. "A long time ago, he did something that hurt me. He betrayed me, because he knows something about me no one else does. How does he know? Because he's the same."

I waited for more, but none came. He pushed himself back up straight and there was a strange glint in his eye as he asked me his next question. "Do you love me?"

My jaw dropped.

* * *

Crap. How was I supposed to answer this?! I opened and closed my mouth wordlessly, like a goldfish. Though, a goldfish was incapable of speech anyway.

His eyes narrowed. "Are you going to answer me?"

"I...I..."

"You kissed me, Rhiannon." He fixed his ice-blue eyes on mine and I felt like a rabbit caught in the hunt. "And now, you pretend it never happened." He moved slightly closer to me, and I felt my stomach do a flip. Great, now it was practising amateur gymnastics!

"I was trying to distract you, to stop you murdering Paarthurnax! That's all!"

"That's all? You're a terrible liar, you told me so yourself. Look, just answer me."

I was rapidly losing self-control, and he was now close enough that I could count the freckles on his nose. "What's your answer?"

He laughed quietly and I felt his breath tickle my skin, sending a shiver through my body and causing my hairs to stand on end. "It's your question."

I was about to succumb when the tent door was ripped open. We wheeled round, embarrassed at being discovered so close by Harald or Epona...but, it was neither.

My insides suddenly believed themselves birds and flew out of me (of course, only figuratively. Flying intestines wouldn't be a pretty sight) as I remembered what I'd forgotten.

* * *

"We've been looking for you." The Whiterun guard grabbed a lock of my hair and pulled me from the tent. I flailed hopelessly, feeling my scalp on the verge of tearing. Eric leapt to his feet, but stopped as he eyed the sword in the guard's hand. His was still in his horse's pack.

"Let her go." He said, his voice empty. I could see in his eyes that he knew it was useless. Then I realised what rendered it even more useless. The guard couldn't see nor hear him.

"Let me go!" I wailed, trying to claw at the hand in my hair.

"Why? You're a wanted criminal." The guard pressed his blade against my throat and I stopped struggling. Eric's eyes widened.

"How did you find me?"

"We got tipped off, by a source who wishes to remain unknown. I was told you had set up camp here, and here you are. You're coming with me, back to the Dragonsreach dungeons."

"I didn't do anything! You can't take me!"

"You stole the property of our Jarl. Now, you must pay."

I cast around the empty cavern of my mind for some kind of leeway. "If you don't let me go, who's going to save Skyrim from the dragons?"

The guard laughed raucously. "And some little Breton is going to stop the dragons? That's the best joke I've heard since the one about the Argonian that goes into a bar."

"I've never heard that one, is it good?"

"Yeah, hilarious!" He started to chortle, then hastily cleared his throat and regained his vice-like grip on me. "But who do you think you are? Dragonborn?"

"Yes!"

His grasp slackened slightly. For a moment, I wondered if it was enough. Then, he let out a shout of laughter. "You? Dragonborn? If that's right, we're all doomed! I don't need your lies, kid, you're coming with me."

I kicked out as he started to drag me across the ground. His sword was dangerously close to ripping my flesh. "Please!" I looked around wildly and my eyes settled on Eric. He hadn't moved an inch. Wasn't he going to help?

He did.

"ZUL HAAL VIIK!"

The sharp pain at my throat vanished as the sword fell to the ground with a thud. Before I could begin to comprehend what was happening, Eric forced me free from the guard.

There was a moment where nothing happened. Then, the guard lunged for his weapon, but Eric was faster. He swept it from the ground and drove it straight through the man's heart. He may not be able to see him, but even the guard couldn't fail to notice as his own sword impaled him.

As the body crashed to the ground, I turned to Eric. He wasn't looking at me. I knew that I wasn't dreaming this. Eric had just Shouted.


	22. Dragons are Friends, not Foes

**A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! I know it's been millenniums since I updated but I have no excuses, I just didn't! So, it's here now!**

* * *

"How does this thing work?" Sheogorath picked up the orb and shook it, hoping for it to crack open and reveal a secret stash of cheese.

She lifted it up to her eye and peered at it, seeing nothing but her reflection.

Suddenly, with a start, she hurled it from her grasp and it smashed to the floor. Chinks of glass scattered across the wooden panels, glistening in the light. In the orb, she had just seen a bright blue flash.

* * *

With a bone-chilling scrape, Eric sheathed his sword. He kicked the body, which rolled pathetically. Then, without a word, he turned on his heel.

"Eric!" I tried to yell, but my voice was hoarse and all that came out was a lame "Ergh!"

He didn't respond, even though I knew he had heard my call (despite it sounding a lot more like me clearing my throat).

"Eric!" This time, he couldn't pretend not to hear me. My voice rang out, breaking the still air. He stopped.

That was all I needed. Willing power into my little legs, I sprinted after him before he could move, and I grabbed hold of his arm. He could easily have pulled away from me, but all he did was slightly flinch. With no choice, he faced me.

"I know you think I walk around bumping into walls, and I know you think I'm so deaf that I don't even hear when someone Shouts in my ear...but, clearly, that's wrong, because that's what you just did!" I wasn't even sure if what I'd just said made sense, my voice was hysterical.

He looked down at me, something like sadness flitting across his eyes. Blue on blue, he stared deep into my soul...of course, that would then raise the question of whether we have souls, which I'm not going to begin on. However, one thing was probably certain. If souls existed, he couldn't see mine. So...perhaps I should say: he stared very..._staringly..._at me.

His shoulders rolled back as he sighed. "Rhiannon...I can't tell you."

"No, you may not be able to, but you _have_ to."

"Why? Why do I have to?"

"Because...because..." my mouth moved soundlessly. How could I converse that he _had_ to?

"I wish I could tell you..." he stopped as his breath caught and he sniffed sharply. In the moonlight, I could see his eyes glistening. "But I wouldn't be able to bear you walking away..."

"Why would I walk away?"

His brow furrowed. "You're not getting it out of me."

I threw my hands up in frustration. "Fine, be like that!" and, spinning on my heel, I stormed back into the tent. As I flopped onto my bedroll, leaning against the edge of the tent, I heard no sound of pursuit and was left with no other noise apart from the ringing in my ears.

Grinding my teeth together, I half waited for Eric to come and explain. So many questions ploughed through my brain, which couldn't hold much at the best of times. Who had tipped off that guard? Who knew where I was, apart from Eric, Epona and Harald? Suddenly, my breath caught in my chest. Epona and Harald...but, no, why would they? With an awful feeling of unease settling over me, I desperately longed to not be alone. Ironic, perhaps, how they say misery loves company. This was very true.

My bag lay gaping open beside me, and I saw a book poking out of it. With no better option, I heaved it up (yes, I wasn't even strong enough to lift a wad of parchment) and flicked to the first page. As I studied the first line, I realised I'd got this book from Candlehearth Hall and had taken it with me in the purpose of, obviously, reading it. It wasn't _exactly _stealing...I had intended to return it. The name of it slipped my mind and I continued curiously.

As it transpired, it wasn't a work of fiction that would allow me an escape from the real world. Just as well, maybe, since I wasn't actually a good reader. However, it was, if possible, better. Closing the book, I traced my fingers across the title inscribed on the spine 'Spell Tome: Conjure Familiar'. As human company was sparse, and not pleasant when it existed, I flexed my fingers and pondered over the words on the pages. It wasn't, apparently, a difficult spell, but knowing me, I would beg to differ. A strange purple light flickered on my palm and I recoiled, causing it to extinguish. Shaking myself, I squinted and produced the glowing orb in my hand once again.

It was rather infuriating as I tried to concentrate my thoughts on the spell that my mind kept raising points like 'What a coincidence you found a book like that' and 'Don't you think it's rather sad that the only company you get is magic?'

Suddenly, a shape burst into existence. Well...did it really exist? My fists clenched instinctively as a sharp pain shot from me with the figure. It collapsed to the floor and wriggled towards me. I scrambled back. What on Oblivion was that monstrous thing? A faint violet light encased its writhing body, which crawled hopelessly on its stumpy legs, its bulbous and bare body flopping. It looked like some horrific, deformed foetus. Bile rose in my throat. I must have cast the spell wrong...

Exhaustion spread over me, but the..._thing_...was drawing closer.

"Rhi-" the tent mouth ripped open, and, all of a sudden, the thing changed. It burst into flame and shot into the air, wings sprouting from its body. The dragon shot towards me and I let out a yell, making to dive out the way, but it stopped inches from me and hovered lamely in the air.

Bemused and terrified, I reached out to it. The beast flapped forward eagerly and landed on my palm. Expecting a burning sensation, I gasped, but none came. This thing...my familiar...it raised its head to me and what could only be considered a smile crossed its face.

"Rhiannon?"

My gaze snapped up and the tiny dragon let out an angry roar, leaping up and turning round, swiping its spiked tail. Epona stood in the opening, her eyes wide. Her lips moved soundlessly as she looked from me to the conjured creature. "What...?"

"It's only a bit of Conjuration." I shrugged, trying to sound casual. My earlier suspicions snaked through my brain slyly. "Where have you been?"

She looked as though she dearly wanted to continue on the subject of the familiar, but I gave her a pointed stare and she replied hesitantly "I-I was hunting. You knew that."

"Were you really?" So much for being calm and collected. What next, was I going to down-right accuse her of betraying me?

"Yes." She cautiously sat beside me and, in a surprising move, ran a finger delicately along the spine of my familiar. It tensed, exhaling a small puff of steam, then stretched its wings and relaxed.

"Epona, are you lying to me?"

She swallowed hard and looked directly at me.

* * *

Alduin stretched his wings, snorting against the bitter chill of Skyrim. In the unfathomable depths below, somewhere, was the Dragonborn. His eyes locked on the Throat of the World. Before he dealt with her and her 'friends', she deserved to know the truth. Once she knew, she would be a far easier target. Alone, vulnerable...he doubted she would wish to remain with them. To think...no. He pushed the thought out his mind. Soon, she would be gone. Left as nothing more than a blot on the history of a world soon to be lost.

* * *

"Rhiannon..." Epona took a deep breath. "Harald told me not to tell you..."

I grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "Don't. I understand. I never get told anything, anyway."

"You deserve to know." She looked down at our interlinked hands. "I want to protect you, Rhiannon. And I think this is the only way..."

My eyes widened. Did she know something about Eric? Harald had said he was dangerous...why else would I need protecting?

"Harald calls Eric a monster, but he is the same. They have far more to do with your destiny than you realise. You could say this is their fault."

"Epona, you need to say more."

"I can't! I only know so much...Harald would only tell me as much as I need to know."

"But what about what _I_ need to know? And why do you need to know anything more than me?"

"Because..." she trailed off, biting her lip. "Look, Rhiannon, I'm scared. I can't tell you any more. I wish I could. But when you do find out, just remember that I'm here for you."

I sighed then resentfully nodded. Epona looked like a lost puppy, and I couldn't bring myself to make her expression any sadder. My familiar flickered slightly, but flew onto my shoulder and rested its head against mine.

Without another word, Epona lay down and closed her eyes. I expected she wasn't sleeping. When I glanced at her, I saw her eyes glinting from the light of the burning dragon atop my shoulder. My familiar stuck with me that entire night. The whole time I sat awake, breathing in time with the swaying of its tail. Neither Eric nor Harald entered the tent until the early hours of the morning.

As a crack appeared at the entrance of the tent, my familiar twitched, raising its head from beneath its wing to inspect the intruder. It was Harald. Quickly, I closed my eyes. The pain in my body then hit as my senses returned. I had been sitting in the same position for ages. Peering through a tiny gap in my eyelids, I watched as the Nord settled himself on his bedroll. He, I could tell, was asleep, as his snores rumbled deeply in the small space. Opening my eyes, I looked to Epona. A worried expression was etched on her face, but she appeared to be sleeping.

I don't know when Eric came in. All I remember after that was seeing the first rays of sun break through the cleft Harald had left in the tent mouth, before I drifted into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

I awoke with a start. From the sounds that roughly resembled an avalanche, Harald was still asleep. My eyes ached. I didn't know how long I'd been asleep, but it didn't seem to be long. On my lap, my familiar still blazed, its small body rising and falling steadily. I was confused...the book had said it would only last a minute. But...this one was still here. I wasn't complaining. He made me feel safe. My back was screaming...it wasn't a good idea to fall asleep sitting up.

A movement caught my eye. A figure shifted. The hair on that head was blond, not like Epona's raven tresses, nor the dark brown of Harald's. Which meant...it was Eric.

* * *

It was a dull party that set off on the road that day. The only conversation that passed was Harald and Eric commenting on my familiar, but I felt no need to explain more than that it was none of their business. We sat rigidly on our horses. If anyone saw, they would think we were some kind of funeral procession. However, we encountered no one on the road. This was the last leg of our journey.

Crimson stained the sky as the day bled into night, and our weary steeds staggered into Ivarstead. I stared up to the peak of the mountain, and a heavy weight seemed to crash onto my stomach.

All too soon, we were there. The Throat of the World.

* * *

Alduin's eyes narrowed. It was time.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter, prepare for REVELATIONS! You shall finally get some answers! Drinks all around!**


	23. The Truth at Last

**A/N: I realise this has taken rather a long time to come, but it's been really, really hard to write. It's been emotionally challenging, and I've had to keep stopping. So...good luck. You may not like what this has in store...**

* * *

"You have it."

I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. Paarthurnax lowered his scaly head and fixed me with a piercing gaze. It wasn't a question. "Yes."

"Tiid kreh...qalos. Time shudders at its touch. There is no question. You are doom-driven. Kogaan Akatosh. The very bones of the earth are at your disposal."

I nodded slowly, wondering when the earth had grown bones.

"Go then. Fulfil your destiny. Take the Scroll to the Time-Wound."

I stepped backwards, fumbling with the Elder Scroll as Eric handed it to me. What would happen?

"Do not delay. Alduin will be coming. He cannot miss the signs."

My hands shook as I pulled open the Scroll...

The parchment lit up then what seemed to be a whirlpool appeared before my eyes. I stumbled back, but I didn't move...as the world went white.

* * *

Next thing I knew, I was back on the Throat of the World...only...there were voices I didn't recognise emitting from around me. Great roars shook the air as well. And, even more peculiar than all of these, a strange hazy white...something...clouded the edges of my vision. A blood red tinge stained the sky.

A dragon crashed to the floor. "Daar sul thur se Alduin vokrii! Today, Alduin's lordship will be restored! But I honour your courage. Krif voth ahkrin. Die now, in vain."

"For Skyrim!" A heavily armoured man charged at the beast, before being engulfed in a jet of flames. He wasn't deterred. He swung his axe with ferocious might at the dragon as it snapped at him.

He wasn't alone. A woman entered the fray, her sword slashing mercilessly at the scaled behemoth. "Know that Gormlaith sent you down to death!" She leapt onto its head and stabbed at its eyes. It let out a howl of rage and pain, writhing to dislodge her, but, in a bath of blood, she beat it to death. As she jumped back to the scarlet-splattered snow, she beamed. "Hakon! A glorious day, is it not!"

"Have you no thought beyond the blooding of your blade?"

She snorted. "What else is there?"

His face remained grave. "The battle below goes ill. If Alduin does not rise to our challenge, I fear all may be lost."

"You worry too much, brother! Victory will be ours!"

Wow...if only I had her brazen courage...or was it just bravado? I watched them move until another man came into view, this one clothed in the raiment of the Greybeards.

Hakon, the warrior type man spoke. "Why does Alduin hang back? We've staked everything on this plan of yours, old man."

The 'old man' replied. "He will come. He cannot ignore our defiance. And why should he fear us, even now?"

"We've bloodied him well. Four of his kin have fallen to my blade alone this day." Gormlaith, the woman, added, in her voice that was rapidly becoming annoying.

The wizard maintained the solemn voice of Hakon. "But none have yet stood against Alduin himself. Galthor, Sorri, Birkir..." and fribble and frobble and wobble...I was getting off-track.

Gormlaith shook her head. "They did not have Dragonrend. Once we bring him down, I promise I will have his head!" Oh, lovely. Would she put it on a silver platter? Decorate it with a wreath?

"You do not understand. Alduin cannot be slain like a lesser dragon. He is beyond our strength. Which is why I brought the Elder Scroll."

I gasped, but no sound came out. It was like foreshadowing...

"Felldir!" Hakon exclaimed. "We agreed not to use it!"

"I never agreed. And if you are right, I will not need it."

"No. We will deal with Alduin ourselves, here and now."

"We shall see soon enough! Alduin approaches!" Gormlaith readied her blade, and the other two copied as a great dragon swept down from on high. Alduin landed on the stone wall.

"Meyye! Tahrodiis aanne! Him hinde pah liiv! Zu'u hin daan!"

I have no idea what he said, but Gormlaith cried "Let those who watch from Sovngarde envy us this day!"

Then, as one, the three Shouted. "Joor Zah Frul!"

Dragonrend! I felt the words sound inside my head, ringing out. I had it. I had Dragonrend!

Alduin roared and landed before them. "Nivahriin joorre! What have you done? What twisted Words have you created?! Tahrodiis Paarthurnax! My teeth to his neck!" Slowly, he revolved his head, looking between his assailers. "But first...dir ko maar. You will die in terror, knowing your final fate..." he gave a long, dramatic pause. I tried not to laugh...not that I could. "To feed my power when I come for you in Sovngarde!" Why did no one tell these people that these 'scary words' just made them sound stupid?

"If I die today, it will not be in terror!" Gormlaith advanced on him, swinging her sword wildly.

"Fo Krah Diin!" The old man Shouted at Alduin. No idea what that Shout is, I made a mental note to look it up...if I ever made it out of this whole thing alive. It was hardly like I had ample reading time while my duty as Dragonborn still remained.

"You feel fear for the first time, worm. I see it in your eyes." I was pretty sure the best thing to do to a pissed-off dragon was _not_ to insult it. However, she had little time to remedy this...Alduin lunged forward, encasing her in his mighty jaw and locking her body in a death grip. He shook her fiercely then flung her aside. She flew, limp as a ragdoll, to the ground, where she moved no more. I didn't even feel bad for her.

"No, damn you!" Hakon cried. "It's no use! Use the Scroll, Felldir! Now!"

Felldir, the old man, lifted the Elder Scroll. "Hold, Alduin on the Wing. Sister Hawk, grant us your sacred breath to make this contract heard." Er...what? Moving on... "Begone, World-Eater! By words with older bones than your own we break your perch on this age and send you out!" He was illuminated by a jet of fire that erupted from Alduin's mouth, but his voice rang out. "You are banished! Alduin, we shout you out from all our endings unto the last!"

Alduin twisted as a hazy blue light enclosed on him. "Faal Kel...?! Nikriinne..." he roared in anguish then...

He was gone.

"You are banished!"

The blinding white light appeared before my eyes again...

* * *

"Dovahkiin."

Eric wrenched the Scroll from my hands as I wheeled around, searching the sky incessantly for the voice. It was Alduin...he was here...

"Lost funt! You are too late, Alduin!" Paarthurnax soared into the sky, and then I saw it. The other dragon. The obsidian black, monstrous giant of a dragon.

Before I could move, before any of us could draw our weapons, he landed on the ground in front of us, snow spraying from the collision.

Then...he changed.

I was no longer looking at a dragon. He was...a human.

"What are you doing?!" I stepped back, horrified. Since when could dragons take human form?

"Think this is strange?" Alduin smirked. I stared at him. His hair was charcoal black and his eyes dark, and his lips twitched in a way that only malice could invoke, "I'm surprised."

"And what do you mean by that?" Why was he doing this? Surely this wasn't involved in his plot to destroy Skyrim...have a chit-chat first?

"Take a look around you."

Hesitantly, only briefly flicking my eyes away from Alduin, I glanced around me. What was I looking at?

"How does it feel, being betrayed?" He strode towards me and though every nerve inside me screamed to run, I was rooted to the spot.

"B-betrayed?"

"Wait-" Eric began, but Alduin shot him a dark look and he fell silent.

"Be quiet. It's about time she knew, wouldn't you say...Eric?"

My lungs contracted painfully as I expelled a gasp of breath. My eyes shot to the blond male beside me. How did Alduin know his name?

"And what say you?" Alduin turned his malicious gaze on Harald. "You often _do _have some input or other. Come now, Harald."

I felt a hand grab hold of my wrist as my jaw dropped. Epona glared at Alduin. "If you have something to say, say it."

"Oh, but this is much more fun, Epona. How about a little game, Rhiannon?"

"You want to play games? I'll kill you!"

"No, you won't, child."

"How do you know my name? And how do you know their names?!" I breathed heavily, my insides squirming with fury.

"I've watched you for long, Rhiannon. Very long. Since you were born, in fact. I've always known it would come to this." Alduin drawled, sounding almost bored. It was his choice to have this discussion!

"You're not answering my question."

"Did I say I would?"

"Rhiannon, I can explain-" Eric tried to speak again, but Alduin cut across him sharply.

"You mean you'll lie to her? Like you have done countless times before? You're no different than you were all those years ago."

"All..." my brain was aching from trying to process all these thoughts. Of course, that's not _entirely _true, as you can't feel your brain.

"Dovahkiin." Alduin spoke softly, but his words echoed eerily in my head. "Dragonborn. The mortal with the soul of a dragon. But look at you. You are weak."

"So what if I am? I'm still Dragonborn!"

"You are Dragonborn without a dragon soul."

I blinked. "What?"

"Your soul is not in your body. When I was cast forward through time, part of the Nord magic weakened me. I was left able to assume this human form. At will, so perhaps not a curse, but it proves I am vulnerable. However, _I _am not the _only_ Dovah to take a man's body."

Something clunked into place.

"Yes." Alduin's lip curled as he saw the realisation on my face. "One as feeble as you was incapable of containing the dragon soul. Therefore, it latched onto another."

I took a deep, shuddering breath and whispered "Eric."

"You were not chosen by the Gods, Rhiannon. You were chosen by me. The dragon soul in you belonged to an old...friend...of mine. He betrayed me, so I devoured his soul. This I cast onto you."

"Why?"

"I knew a Dragonborn would one day reveal itself. So I made one before it could. Then again, I didn't expect you to be such a disappointment. To think, every soul you absorb is forced to latch onto a human. You don't know these two Nords. You know the two Dovah they once were."

Epona's grip was vice-like on me. I turned to her in desperation. No one could see Eric and Harald...because they were a part of me? But Alduin, Epona and Paarthurnax...unless...dragons could. I looked into her eyes and she shook her head just a fraction. She was human. But then, behind her, I saw Harald. Or...could I even call him Harald? He was gazing imploringly at me. I ignored him.

"Would you like to know more?" Alduin jeered.

"No." I whispered.

"Well, you don't have a choice. I will make you suffer, Dovahkiin. I know what you feel. I know how much it hurts you to think that _he_" he shot Eric a malevolent look "is one of my kind. Perhaps, to cheer you up, I shall tell you that, in fact, he has been spying on you for me this entire time."

It felt like someone had clawed their way through my flesh, curled their hand around my heart and ripped it out.

It explained everything. Harald's warnings. The words 'Forgive me'. The dragon in the fire. The Shouting. It all pieced together. But there was one final piece that just didn't seem to fit...

"You better enjoy these next seconds, because they're the last you're ever going to live." Epona's breathing was ragged and her shoulders shook with wrath.

"You're unwanted here, Epona. You always have been unwanted, and you always will be." Alduin laughed mercilessly.

"I don't care. Because if you dare lay a finger on Rhiannon, I will make sure you don't see tomorrow's sun rise."

"Come, Rhiannon." Alduin stepped towards me and ran his finger along my jaw line. I stood rooted to the spot, unable to retaliate as he forced my chin up to fix his dark eyes with mine. "If you were going to kill me, you'd have done so already. You know you won't be able to. You're scared...of death."

"I may not have the dragon soul in me, but I'm still Dragonborn. I can still Shout. And I know Dragonrend."

His nostrils flared and he dropped my head, his nail scraping my skin. I flinched but didn't break away from his piercing glare. He wouldn't see me break. I may have been weak physically, but I'd spent a long time making sure my heart was kept locked for my access only. Yet...

Someone had broken in. And that someone had betrayed me. They were a monster, and had never loved me.

Suddenly, my insides ignited with a burning hatred. Whether it was for Eric or Alduin, I didn't know. But I felt the flames erupt from my fingers and I hurled them at Alduin.

With a roar that rocked the mountain, wings burst from his back and the 'man' became Dovah as his gigantean, scaled body leapt into the air. This was it.

The sky was smothered in darkness as boulders rained from its deathly depths, alight and scorching the snow they collided with. I dived aside as one hunted for me, smashing to pieces where I had just been standing. Paarthurnax expelled jets of flame, trying to tackle Alduin from the air. I desperately launched spell after spell, but I feared to hit the wrong target and I was too cautious. None of them reached Alduin.

"Dovahkiin! Use Dragonrend!" I heard Paarthurnax's voice only faintly, but it was enough. I staggered back, glancing around to see Harald, Epona and Eric braced to fight. I swallowed back every wave of pain that hit me seeing the last and raised my head to the heavens.

"JOOR ZAH FRUL!"

With a shriek of pain, the Shout encased Alduin in bright light. He writhed and tried to escape the force that compelled him to the ground, but he crashed before me. I looked into his onyx eyes and I saw fear flicker behind the facade. "Do not pretend you are strong, Dovahkiin." He spat.

"I'm not pretending." I relished as tongues of fire lapped at his body and I heard his faint whimper of anguish.

Then, before I could even scream, he lunged for me. I felt his teeth sink into my leg and a blinding pain shot through me. The ground disappeared from beneath me and I fought desperately for consciousness. As though from another mind, I knew I was flying through the air, but then I felt my head collide with something hard and I couldn't struggle against the light.

But I had to.

"Rhiannon!" I heard someone yell. Suddenly, I heaved a gasp of air and the world came into focus. I scrambled to my feet, feeling something hot trickle down my neck. My leg seared and dangled limply, the bone snapped in half.

Arms closed around me and I felt myself lifted into the air.

"Eric." Alduin's voice rang in my pounding head. "After all this time, you turn on me? You actually care for this joor...this mortal?"

"She's better than you, Alduin, and she will kill you." This came from above me, and I would have recognised the voice anywhere. He thought he could make it better?

"I don't need your help, Eric! I don't want it!" I yelled, forcing myself free from his grip and barely wincing as my leg hit the floor.

"Weak, Dovahkiin." Alduin sneered. "You are weak. And you will die."

"I'm not weak. If it were true, I wouldn't be alive right now. And that scares you. What's it like...being scared?"

He roared and spat a bolt of fire at me, but I was one step ahead of him. I ducked and dove towards him. His head followed me and I saw his body expand with shock as he realised a split second too late what had happened. With a rattling breath, he slumped to the floor from the blade that impaled his body.

Blood seeped over my hands and spattered the snow with scarlet as I wrenched Eric's sword free from Alduin's underbelly.

"Meyz mul, Dovahkiin." Alduin's hulking form shook as he struggled to draw breath. "You _have_ become strong." With all his might, he pushed himself up and I stepped back as his wings unfurled and his voice rose. "But I am Al-du-in, Firstborn of Akatosh! Mulaagi zok lot! I cannot be slain here, by you or anyone else!" I stepped around to look him in the eyes and I saw them burn with hatred. "You cannot prevail against me. I will outlast you...mortal!" With one final, blood-curdling roar, he took off into the night.

* * *

For a second, the world seemed to stop. Then it all returned in a mass of pain. I slumped to the ground, unable to suppress the sobs that tore from my throat. Tears flooded my face as I curled up on the snow, the stench of blood burning my nose.

Through blurry eyes, I saw a blond figure standing above me.

"Go. I want you and Harald to go." I whispered.

"Rhiannon-" Eric began.

"GO!"

Epona's small hand closed around mine as I heard the two sets of footsteps retreat down the mountain.


End file.
